2012

THINK TANKS AND CIVIL SOCIETIES PROGRAM

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS PROGRAM
UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA

llnal 8elease - 1.24.13



2012 GLOBAL GO TO THINK TANKS REPORT
AND POLICY ADVICE

James G. McGann, Ph.D.
Director
Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA USA
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Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program
International Relations Program
University of Pennsylvania
635 Williams Hall
255 S. 36
th
Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6305
Direct Line: (215) 746-2928
Main Office: (215) 898-0452
Email: jmcgann@sas.upenn.edu


January 24, 2013

Dear Friend and Colleague,

I am pleased to announce the launch of the 2012 Global Go To Think Tanks Rankings and
associated trends report. The report can be accessed at the Programs website:
http://www.gotothinktank.com.

The reports publication is the culmination of an eight-month process involving the support of think
tanks and experts from every region of the world. Despite the scope of the project, the rankings are
conducted without the benefit of a full time staff or budget, instead made possible with the assistance
of a group of research interns from the University of Pennsylvania and other colleges in the
Philadelphia area.

Below is a snapshot of more than 1950 experts and peer institutions that participated in this years
ranking process:
! 793 expert panelists for all the regional and functional research categories
! 150 journalists and scholars with expertise spanning politics, think tanks, and civil
society
! 55 current and former directors of think tank programs and networks
! 40 public and private donors
! 100s of think tanks
! 25-30 intergovernmental organizations
! 120 academic institutions

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Further, I am pleased to highlight the increasingly global reach of the rankings, as reflected in the
following statistics regarding this years report:
! 6,603 think tanks from 182 countries were invited to participate in the process
! 1,100 plus individuals from 120 countries participated in the nominations and
rankings process
! Think tanks were nominated, and subsequently ranked, in 38 categories
! A total of 1647 think tanks were nominated
! A total of well over 57,000 nominations were received across the 38 categories
! 171 think tanks were nominated as the worlds top think tank

Each year, our team works to improve the quality of the data collected and the results generated by
the ranking process. A summary of the changes we have over the last six years is highlighted below.
This and last years reviews of the process sparked an upheaval of certain aspects of past years
methodology. In an effort to make the rankings process more democratic and fair, 2012s process,
like 2011s, began with a call for nominations of think tanks across the thirty eight categories, not
relying (as the process had in the past) on Expert Panels for these nominations. At each stage of the
process, Expert Panel members were then consulted to verify the legitimacy of each rounds results.
By using the Expert Panels as barometers for the datas accuracy rather than as generators of data, we
intend to make the process more democratic and eliminate the influence of any potential biases on
the rankings.

In addition, this years process featured the modification and development of additional categories
relative to last years ranking. The 2012 Global Go-To Think Tank Index includes both new and
altered categories in comparison to the 2011 index. The new categories are: Top Energy and
Resource Policy Think Tanks, Top Education Policy Think Tanks, Best For-Profit Think Tanks,
Best Independent Think Tanks (financially, structurally, and legally independent of government
and political parties), Best Advocacy Campaign, and Best Policy Study/Report Produced by a
Think Tank 2011-2012. Top Think Tanks in Asia was split into Top Think Tanks in China,
India, Japan, and the Republic of Korea and Top Think Tanks in Asia (excluding China, India,
Japan, and the Republic of Korea). During the rankings process, the regional categories for the
Americas were rearranged into Top Think Tanks in South America, Top Think Tanks in Central
America and the Caribbean and Top Think Tanks in Mexico and Canada. Unfortunately, because
of the smaller number of think tanks and less developed civil society in Central America and the
Caribbean, that category was ultimately recombined with the South American category. Finally, Best
New Think Tank is now determined by the past twenty-four months, rather than the past eighteen.

Still, efforts to streamline and perfect the process are ongoing, and as we are continually seeking ways
to enhance the process, I welcome your comments and suggestions on how it might be improved. I
further encourage you to provide the names and contact information for prospective Expert Panel
members you might suggest for the functional areas and geographic regions covered by the rankings.

As you may know, our initial effort to generate a ranking of the worlds leading think tanks was a
response to a series of requests from donors and journalists to produce national, regional, and
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international lists of the preeminent think tanks. Our ongoing efforts are now defined by our drive
to understand the role of think tanks in governments and civil societies globally, so that we can help to
improve their capacity and performance.

Our rankings process, as in the past, relies on a shared definition of public policy research, analysis,
and engagement organizations, a detailed set of selection criteria, and an increasingly open and
transparent nomination and selection process. Particularly with this years improvements, we believe
this process has tremendous utility for think tanks, policymakers, donors, and the public. We are
especially pleased with increased participation from developing countries especially in Africa, Latin
America and, which allows us to bring special attention to the important work they are doing, often
under a set of circumstances with a set of obstacles all their own.

Finally, I would like to thank you again for all your support over the years, and for helping make the
Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program a continued success.


Sincerely,

James McGann, Ph.D.
Assistant Director, International Relations Program
Director, Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program
University of Pennsylvania


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2012 THINK TANKS RANKINGS CATEGORIES

I. Top Think Tanks in the World
! Think Tank of the Year 2012 Top Think Tank in the World
! Top Think Tanks Worldwide (Non-US)
! Top Think Tanks Worldwide (US and Non-US)

II. Top Think Tanks by Region
! Top Think Tanks in the United States
! Top Think Tanks in Western Europe
! Top Think Tanks in Central and Eastern Europe
! Top Think Tanks in Asia (excluding China, India, Japan, and the Republic of
Korea)
! Top Think Tanks in China, India, Japan and the Republic of Korea
! Top Think Tanks in Sub-Saharan Africa
! Top Think Tanks in Mexico and Canada
! Top Think Tanks in South and Central America
! Top Think Tanks in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA)

III. Top Think Tanks by Area of Research
! Top Security and International Affairs Think Tanks
! Top International Development Think Tanks
! Top Environment Think Tanks
! Top Health Policy Think Tanks
! Top Domestic Economic Policy Think Tanks
! Top International Economic Policy Think Tanks
! Top Social Policy Think Tanks
! Top Science and Technology Think Tanks
! Top Transparency and Good Governance Think Tanks
! Top Energy and Resource Policy Think Tanks
! Top Education Policy Think Tanks (Unranked)

IV. Top Think Tanks by Special Achievement
! Think Tanks with the Most Innovative Policy Ideas/Proposals
! Best New Think Tanks
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! Think Tanks with Outstanding Policy-Oriented Public Programs
! Think Tanks with the Best Use of the Internet or Social Media
! Think Tanks with the Best Use of the Media (Print or Electronic)
! Think Tanks with the Best External Relations/Public Engagement Programs
! Think Tanks with the Most Significant Impact on Public Policy
! Best University Affiliated Think Tanks
! Best Government Affiliated Think Tanks
! Best Think Tanks with Political Party Affiliation
! Best For-Profit Think Tanks (Unranked)
! Top Think Tanks with Annual Operating Budgets of Less Than $5 Million
USD
! Best Advocacy Campaign
! Best Policy Study/Report Produced by a Think Tank 2011-2012


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The Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program
Helping to bridge the gap between knowledge and policy

Researching the trends and challenges facing
think tanks, policymakers, and policy-oriented
civil society groups

Sustaining, strengthening, and building
capacity for think tanks around the world

Maintaining the largest, most comprehensive
global database of think tanks

All requests, questions, and comments
should be directed to:
James G. McGann, Ph.D.
Director
Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program
International Relations Program
University of Pennsylvania
Telephone: (215) 746-2928
Email: jmcgann@sas.upenn.edu

2012 Copyright: All rights reserved. No part of this report may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any
means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by information storage or retrieval
system, without written permission from the University of Pennsylvania, Think Tanks and Civil Societies
Program.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS


ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 10
INTRODUCTION 11
GLOBAL TRENDS AND TRANSITIONS 14
METHODOLOGY AND TIMELINE 24
2012 THINK TANK STATISTICS 32
2012 GLOBAL GO TO RANKINGS RESULTS 41
TOP THINK TANKS IN THE WORLD 41
TOP THINK TANKS BY REGION 49
TOP THINK TANKS BY AREA OF RESEARCH 66
TOP THINK TANKS BY SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT 87
APPENDICES 108
BACKGROUND ON THE THINK TANKS AND CIVIL SOCIETIES PROGRAM 126
THE RESEARCH TEAM 127

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

First and foremost, I want to express my deep appreciation to all the scholars, think tank directors,
journalists, policymakers, and donors from every region of the world who took time out of their busy
schedules to participate in the 2012 think tank rankings. A special note of thanks goes to the over
1950 peer and experts functional area and regional specialists who served on the thirty eight Expert
Panels that provided valuable insights and assistance as I compiled the final 2012 Global Go To
Think Tank Index.
I also want to thank my research interns for their help in collecting and analyzing the data for this
research project. Special thanks goes to Andrew Metrick, Project Lead for the 2012 Global Go To
Think Tank Report, who assembled and edited this years report. He and his team put in long hours
to help improve the quality and appearance of the 2012 Global Go To Think Tank Index Report.
Finally, I want to thank the United Nations and the United Nations University for hosting the
briefing and global launch of the 2012 Global Go To Think Tank Index in New York again this year,
and the World Bank for hosting the Washington, D.C. briefing and launch.

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INTRODUCTION

The 2012 Global Go To Think Tank Rankings marks the sixth edition of the annual report. As in
previous years, the Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program (TTCSP) at the University of
Pennsylvanias International Relations Program has relied on the indexing criteria and process
developed by James G. McGann for ranking think tanks around the world. The Programs Rankings
remain the first and most comprehensive ranking of the worlds top think tanks, and are based on an
annual global peer and expert survey of over 1950 scholars, policymakers, journalists, and regional
and subject area experts. Given the rigor and scope of the process, the Rankings produced have
been described as the insiders guide to the global marketplace of ideas. As part of the process, all
6,603 think tanks in the world were contacted and encouraged to participate in the nominations
process as well as a group of over 9,000 journalists, policymakers, public and private donors, think
tanks, and regional and subject area specialists. This group of peers and experts were surveyed to
nominate and then rank public policy research centers of excellence for 2012. Additionally, the
Program has assembled a set of Expert Panels, comprising over 750 expert members from around
the world, spanning the political spectrum and drawing from a wide variety of disciplines and sectors,
to help in the refining and validation of the lists generated. These experts were consulted at every
stage in the process. The nominations and rankings were based on the detailed set of criteria that
included the think tanks production of rigorous and relevant research, publications, and programs in
one or more substantive areas of research (see Methodology and Timeline for the complete set of
nomination and ranking criteria, and Appendices for a detailed explication of the rankings process).
The 2006 Global Go To Think Tank Rankings, the first of what would become the annual
reports, was launched in response to the numerous requests Dr. McGann received from journalists,
donors, scholars, and government officials to provide a list of the leading think tanks globally and in
particular countries or regions of the world. In its initial conception, the project sought to identify
some of the leading think tanks globally in an effort to respond to these inquiries in a systematic
fashion. Since 2006, the process has been refined and streamlined, and the number and scope of the
institutions and individuals involved has grown steadily.
The Rankings primary objective is to recognize some of the worlds leading public policy think
tanks and highlight the notable contributions these institutions are making to governments and civil
societies worldwide. Over the course of just six years, the Think Tank Index has become the
authoritative source for the top public policy institutions around the world. This year we are
fortunate enough to be launching the Report at the United Nations University and at the World Bank
in Washington, D.C. Last year, over two hundred diplomats, foundations, and think tanks attended
the launch at the UN, and upwards of two hundred print and electronic media outlets featured the
Reports findings.
This Report is comprised of the results of 2012s Rankings. Also included in the Report is a
summary of the major trends and issues with respect to think tanks worldwide, as they have been
identified through the annual survey of think tanks and the Programs interviews with the staff of
think tanks and civil society organizations in every region of the world.
Each year, we attempt to respond systematically to the comments and suggestions we receive
regarding how we might improve the nomination and ranking process. This year, the considerable
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time we devoted to this response spurred a number of significant changes in the process. As in the
2011 process, this years Rankings relied on an open nominations process, followed by a review of
this process by Expert Panels. We have a continuing commitment to increasing the quality and
representativeness of the Index each and every year we conduct the survey.
In addition, this years Rankings feature a number of new or modified categories. The 2012
Global Go-To Think Tank Index includes several new categories and several categories that have
been altered from the 2011 index. The new categories are: Top Energy and Resource Policy Think
Tanks, Top Education Policy Think Tanks, Best For-Profit Think Tanks, Best Independent
Think Tanks (financially, structurally, and legally independent of government and political parties),
Best Advocacy Campaign and Best Policy Study/Report Produced by a Think Tank 2011-2012.
Top Think Tanks in Asia was split into Top Think Tanks in China, India, Japan and the Republic
of Korea and Top Think Tanks in Asia (excluding China, India, Japan, and the Republic of Korea)
The regional categories for the Americas were rearranged into Top Think Tanks in South America,
Top Think Tanks in Central America and the Caribbean and Top Think Tanks in Mexico and
Canada. Finally, Best New Think Tank is now determined by the past 24, previously 18, months.
Though this years process has enjoyed the improvements outlined above, I would be remiss
were I to fail to mention a few qualifications. As in previous years and despite the work done to
mitigate this issue this year the Rankings continue to underrepresent certain regions within the
Top Think Tanks Worldwide category. This likely is related to the relatively small number of
think tanks in developing countries, their underdeveloped capacity, and the limited resources
available to these institutions. It is also a function of the reality that more than sixty percent of the
worlds think tanks are based in Europe and North America. Unfortunately, there are simply more
and better-funded think tanks in the G7 countries. In addition, the historically dominant role these
countries have played in world politics and the influence they traditionally exert over political,
economic, and social thinking contributes to the prominence of their think tanks. That said, I would
like to direct your attention to the regional, research area, and special achievement categories, which
together might provide a fuller picture of the work of think tanks globally. The playing field is being
leveled, however, by advances in information-based technologies which are becoming cheaper and
more powerful, thus enabling think tanks in the Global South to have greater national, regional, and
global reach.
Though each year our best efforts have gone into generating a rigorous, inclusive, and objective
process, we recognize the impossibility of entirely ridding the selection of the worlds top think tanks
from bias. The potential personal, regional, ideological, and disciplinary biases of those consulted
throughout the process may, inevitably, have crept into the Rankings. While some have suggested
what we move to a small group of experts or a panel of journalists to make the selections, we are
unwavering in our commitment to a rigorous, yet open and democratic process. We are confident in
the quality and integrity of the Rankings given the safeguards in place, which include the open and
transparent nature of the process, the creation and provision of a detailed set of nomination and
selection criteria, and the annually increasing participation of think tanks and experts from every
region of the world, and particularly from historically underrepresented countries in the Southern
hemisphere. The most significant change has been the on-going involvement the expert panelists
which has dramatically improved the nominations and ranking process. Together, these measures
insulate the nomination and selection process from any significant problems of bias and
misrepresentation.
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I would like to highlight the exclusion of think tanks based in the United States from the
principal global ranking, as the Program believes their inclusion would distort the global ranking
given the extraordinary worldwide prominence and preeminence of U.S. think tanks. In so doing,
the Rankings are able to further highlight lesser-known think tanks in regions outside of the United
States.
We also want underscore that the Global Go-To Think Tank Index is but one measure of a
think tanks performance and impact and is designed to be used in conjunction with other metrics to
help identify and evaluate think tank centers of excellence in every region of the world.
As a final note, I would like to remind you that the data collection, research, and analysis for this
project, as in previous years, was conducted without the benefit of field research, a budget, or a staff,
instead relying on a group of interns from the University of Pennsylvania and other colleges in the
Philadelphia area.
Despite the limitations of the Rankings, we are confident that the peer nomination and selection
process and the work of the international Expert Panels together have enabled us to create the most
authoritative list of high performance think tanks in the world.

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GLOBAL TRENDS AND TRANSITIONS
The potential of think tanks to support and sustain democratic governments
and civil society is far from exhausted. Today policymakers and civil society
throughout the developed and the developing world face the common problem
of bringing expert knowledge to bear on government decision-making. The
challenge is to harness the vast reservoir of knowledge, information and
associational energy that exists in public policy research organizations in every
region of the world for public good.
James McGann, Think Tanks and Civil Society Program
University of Pennsylvania, 2012.
Important Terms And Definitions
! Economically Developed Country (EDC): An industrialized country mainly often found
in the Northern Hemisphere.
1

! Inter-Governmental Organization (IGO): International/transnational actors composed of
member-countries.
! Globalization: A multifaceted concept that represents the increasing integration of
economics, communications, and culture across national boundaries.
! Non-Governmental Organization (NGO): International (transnational) organizations
with private memberships.
! North: The economically developed countries (EDCs) including those of Western Europe,
the United States and Canada in North America, Japan in Asia, and Australia and New
Zealand in Oceania.
! South: The economically less developed countries (LDCs), primarily located in Africa, Asia,
and Latin America.

Think Tanks and the Transnationalization of Ideas and Influence
The growth of public policy research organizations, or think tanks, over the last few decades has
been nothing less than explosive. Not only have these organizations increased in number, but the
scope and impact of their work have also expanded dramatically. This past decade, however, has
shown the first marked decrease in the rate of establishment of new think tanks. Despite this recent
trend, think tanks continue to increase their role and influence in countries around the world. The
potential of think tanks to support and sustain democratic governments and civil societies around the
world is far from exhausted. Today policymakers and civil societies throughout the developed and

1
All definitions, with the exception of globalization, from International Politics on the World Stage, 12
th

ed. by John Rourke (New York: McGraw Hill, 2008).
2
The OECD, or Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, is a forum of thirty-
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developing world face the common problem of bringing expert knowledge to bear in governmental
decision-making. The challenge is to harness the vast reservoir of knowledge, information, and
associational energy that exists in public policy research organizations in every region of the world
for public good.
The breadth and scope of this reservoir has expanded considerably since the 1990s as these
think tanks have responded to the need of policymakers and the general public for information that
is useful, reliable, accessible, and understandable. Although this need has been an inherent dynamic
of the policymaking process, the forces of globalization have fostered and markedly accelerated the
growth of independent think tanks, due to their unique ability to strengthen the research-policy
bridge and thus increase the quality and effectiveness of the policymaking process. As a result, think
tanks can now be found in most countries of the world. By developing and strengthening ties with
other nongovernmental and research organizations via state, regional and international networks,
think tanks have solidified their position as integral contributors to the policymaking process. In
recognition of the increased role, number, and position of think tanks, as well as the fact that think
tanks have received less attention from scholars relative to environment, development, education and
social service-oriented NGOs, this report focuses on the role of these institutions, as well as their
role in regional and global networks, in order to illustrate the value and utility of think tanks to
policymakers and the public at regional and global levels. In addition, the report will explore the
major challenges facing this group of policy-oriented non-governmental organizations.

What is a Think Tank?
Think tanks are public-policy research analysis and engagement organizations that generate policy-
oriented research, analysis, and advice on domestic and international issues, which enable
policymakers and the public to make informed decisions about public policy issues. Think tanks may
be affiliated or independent institutions and are structured as permanent bodies, not ad hoc
commissions. These institutions often act as a bridge between the academic and policymaking
communities and between states and civil society, serving in the public interest as independent voices
that translate applied and basic research into a language and form that is understandable, reliable, and
accessible for policymakers and the public (Think Tanks and Policy Advice in the US, Routledge
2007 and in The Fifth Estate: The Role of Think Tanks in Domestic and Foreign Policy in the US
forthcoming).

United States
There are 1,823 think tanks in the U.S.
! 90.5% created since 1951
! Number has more than doubled since 1980
! 31% created between 1981-1990---End of Post WWII consensus & Challenge to the Welfare
State
! Most of the think tanks that have come into existence in the U.S. since the 1970s are
specialized
! About one quarter (or approximately 400) of the think tanks are located in Washington, DC
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! More than half are university affiliated
! Number of new think tanks declined over the last 11 years

Reasons for the Growth of Think Tanks in the 20
th
and 21
st
Centuries
! Information and technological revolution
! End of national governments monopoly on information
! Increasing complexity and technical nature of policy problems
! Increasing size of government
! Crisis of confidence in governments and elected officials
! Globalization and the growth of state and non-state actors
! Need for timely and concise information and analysis in the right form at the right time and
in the right hands (McGann 2007)


Reasons for the Recent Decline in Number of Think Tanks Established Worldwide
! Political and regulatory environment hostile to think tanks and NGOs in many countries
! Decrease funding for policy research by public and private donors
! Public and private donors move to short term, project specific funding instead of investing
in ideas and institutions
! Underdeveloped institutional capacity and the inability to adapt to change
! Increased competition from advocacy organizations, for-profit consulting firms, law firms
and 24/7 electronic media
! Institutions have served their purpose and have discontinued their operations










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Graph 1.0 Number of Think Tanks Established



Table 2.0a Number of Think Tanks Established by Period

Period

1900-1910 1911-1920 1921-1930 1931-1940 1941-1950 1951-1960
# Think Tanks
Established
18 25 42 42 120 213

# Think Tanks Est.
per Year (Avg.)
1.6 2.5 4.2 4.2 12 21.3



Table 2.0b Number of Think Tanks Established by Period

Period

1961-1970 1971-1980 1981-1990 1991-2000 2001-2007
TOTAL
Responses
# Think Tanks
Established
367 612 1001 1422 486 4348

# Think Tanks Est.
per Year (Avg.)
36.7 61.2 100.1 142,2 69.4 NA

0
30
100
130
1900-1910 1911-1920 1921-1930 1931-1940 1941-1930 1931-1960 1961-1970 1971-1980 1981-1990 1991-2000 2001-2007
!
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#
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#

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#
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1
2

.
%
1
2
3

4#5%6#
Average Number of Think Tanks Established Per Year
Worldwide
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2012 Trends in Think Tanks and Policy Advice
Major Findings
Think tanks have become more active players in domestic and foreign policy in the last two decades
and are now present in 182 countries. While think tanks continue to be concentrated in the U.S. and
Western Europe (sixty percent of all think tanks are located in these two regions), several factors are
driving the growth of think tanks in other areas of the world.
Mega Trends
I. Globalization: Knowledge is increasingly an international commodity that spans physical
and metaphysical boundaries. Globalization is unquestionably one of the most profound and
powerful trends that is continually shaping and driving the flow of technology, resources,
knowledge, people, values, and ideas. The growth of the knowledge-based economy has led to
competition among knowledge-based institutions worldwide for the best ideas and people. New
technologies have leveled the global playing field in a way that challenges established powers and
elite institutions around the world. There are now 2 billion people who have access to the
Internet in every region of the world.
II. Growth of International Actors: The proliferation of state and non-state actors, such as
NGOs and IGOs, have created a demand and provided the support and space for the
establishment of think tanks around the world.
III. Democratization and Decentralization of Power: The democratic movements around
the world have helped fuel the demand for independent analysis of public policies and the
creation of a new set of non-governmental think tanks.
IV. Demands for Independent Information and Analysis: Over the last 15 years the states
monopoly and control of information has rapidly diminished due to technological advances and
democratic movements. These movements have created a space for knowledge-based institutions
like think tanks to provide independent information and analysis.
V. Increased Complexity of Policy Issues: Governments are faced with a range of highly
technical and complex problems that require a degree of expertise that require policymakers to
seek outside advice. At the same time, governments are under increased pressure to improve
economic and bureaucratic performance. Governments have historically turned to think tanks
for evidence and advice on these matters but that may be changing.
VI. New Tech Revolution and the Rate of Technological Change: Better, cheaper, and
faster technology has made it much easier for individuals and small organizations to operate and
publicize their work. The Internet, social networks, the cloud and handheld computers have
made it much easier for individuals and organizations with limited financial resources to conduct
research and disseminate the findings globally. Organizations use websites and social networks to
share their agendas and findings. Many of these approaches operate outside of the traditional
academic review process, peer-reviewed publications, and communication channels. These
changes have dramatically increased the timeliness, reach, and impact of research and
commentary that is not associated with institutions, but rather conducted by individuals and
social movements. The combination of globalization and constant technological innovation has
empowered these individuals in way that is posing a major challenge to established knowledge
based institutions like universities and think tanks.
VII. Increasingly Open Debate about Government Decision-Making: Interest groups and
public citizens are less deferential to allowing governments to monopolize decision making,
which has put a premium on more open discussion of issues and policy options. Key players are
less likely to accept government information and rationales, creating a demand for more
19
independent sources of analysis. Global policy and advocacy networks have increased the power
and influence of these organizations.
VIII. Global Hacktivist, Anarchist and Populist Movements: During the last 12 months a
seemingly unrelated set of movements have sprung up across the globe that have one thing in
common they are all anti-establishment at their core. The groups that have emerged in countries
as diverse as India, Greece, Egypt, Tunisia, China, Bahrain, Chile and the United States can be
described as a wave of global populism. These movements have gathered the young, unemployed,
underemployed and disaffected into often leaderless mass movements that are challenging the
established political and economic order. Fueled by the economic crisis, political paralysis and
policy gridlock of many regional and national governments, these popular movements have
surfaced to give voice to the public dissatisfaction with the corruption, abuses of civil liberties
and general ineffectiveness and indecisiveness of their leaders. It is also in response to a
creditability and representation gap where citizens feel that they have been marginalized and
elected leaders are out of touch with their needs and interests. Finally, what Wikileaks, the Arab
Awakening, Take Back America, the Tea Party, the Jasmine Revolution and anti-immigrant
groups in France and the anti-corruption groups in China and India also have in common is that
they are enhanced and enabled by a brand of 60s style community organizing techniques that are
coupled with powerful new technologies such as social networks (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube),
cell phones, handheld computers (iPod, iPhone, iPad, etc.) and new media (Al Jazeera, the
Huffington Post).
IX. Global Structural Adjustment: There is a major global structural adjustment that is turning
the world upside down. The economically developed countries are now in crisis while many
developing countries are experiencing real, sustained economic growth. Intense competition
from developing countries and emerging economies has placed intense competitive pressures in
the manufacturing, service and high tech sectors traditionally dominated by the countries in the
North. The current economic crisis is also creating challenges to the liberal economic order and
plunged the traditional economic powers of the world into fiscal and monetary crisis. The
continuing economic crisis and associated fiscal constraints have brought into focus the deep-
seated structural and fiscal problems that policymakers have historically deferred from one
administration to the next. These problems have now begun to surface in the domestic political
landscape and failure to deal with them 10 or 15 years ago has left policymakers with a host of
difficult choices. Making these tough decisions doesnt come easy for politicians who must face
reelection. The reality is that the standard of living in the North will decline, entitlements will
have to be cut and taxes raised; no politician wants to bring this message to the electorate.
X. Economic Crisis and Political Paralysis: The dynamic growth and competitive challenge
posed by the emerging economies in the Global South require that the countries in the North
trim their budgets and government programs to bring them in line with current global economic
competition, changing demographics, mounting sovereign debt and little or no economic growth.
The inability of the Economically Developed Countries (EDCs) to compete with the low-wages
and low benefit cost in developing countries and emerging economies will make it difficult for
the countries in the North to emerge from the economic crisis in the short term. The prospects
for meaningful economic growth even in the long term appear to be dim unless significant
structural adjustments occur, new technologies are employed and productivity gains are realized.
Making budget cuts and strategic investments (e.g. in science and technology, infrastructure,
strategic resources, and education) that will enable the countries in the North to remain
competitive in the global economy will require deep cuts in military spending and entitlement
programs. Rather than developing a plan to deal with these long-term structural problems, the
politicians in the United States, Europe, and Japan have become mired in partisan politics and
policy gridlock
XI. Policy Tsunamis: Today an increasing number of political, natural and social phenomena at
the national level have a global impact. As globalization intensifies these transnational events will
20
grow in number and intensity and create what I term Policy Tsunamis. I use the term tsunami
because these policy problems will appear on the policy landscape in one country and then grow
in size and complexity as they sweep across the globe with devastating consequences. Only those
countries that are able to identify, track and analyze these transnational shock waves will be able
to respond to them effectively. The current economic crisis, the Arab Spring and Wikileaks
caught policymakers and the public off guard. There have always been local events that have had
global implications but what is new is the speed and intensity in which these policy issues travel
around the globe and rapidly reach a crisis stage.
XII. State vs. Supercharged Individuals and Social Networks: The democratization of
politics and information has enabled politics and power to become highly decentralized. The
state-centric world order has devolved from states to intergovernmental organizations to non-
governmental organizations and now to individuals. Individuals are now empowered by the
Internet and social networks and can create loose organizations and networks that can effectively
challenge the state. This trend is reflected in supercharged individuals like Osama Bin Laden,
Julian Assange, Mohammed Bouazizi in Tunisia and Wael Ghonim in Egypt who shape and
influence national and global politics.

Emerging Issues And Trends Facing Think Tanks
There are a number of issues/trends facing think tanks that have not received as much attention in
comparison to other NGOs. Outlined below are a few potential areas of inquiry that require
additional research and debate:
I. Dramatic Shifts in Funding Patterns: National, regional, and local governments
have cut their funding for public policy research while corporations and private
foundations have limited their grant-making to project-specific support. Foreign donors
from Asia, and the oil-rich countries of the Middle East increasingly help fill the funding
gap while baby boomers make significant resources available to non-profit institutions
through planned giving. This can be a mixed blessing since these donors often have very
specialized interests and want to be involved in the projects they support on an ongoing
basis. In addition, some private foundations and individual donors have been moving
their support away from analysis to activism and from think tanks to advocacy
organizations. The recent economic crisis continues to have a negative impact on think
tanks that are not considered as critical as social welfare programs. Many institutions are
taking a hard look at their programs and a number of think tanks are considering
merging with larger, more established institutions.
II. Increased Specialization: Specialized institutions and programs are attractive to
funders who want to target their dollars at specific problems or issues. This trend toward
increased specialization has had a direct impact on the programs, constituencies and
funding sources of multi-purpose policy organizations, thereby increasing competition
among think tanks simultaneously. It has become increasingly difficult for think tanks to
convince prospective funders that their programs are worthy of support. Moreover,
increased specialization discourages interdisciplinary responses to complex issues and
limits creativity of scholars.
III. Increased Competition: Think tanks have embraced specialization as a means of
distinguishing themselves from the competition. This branding has taken the form of
functional, political and issue specialization that helps market their institution to donors
who are increasingly providing project- specific support, to policymakers, and to the
21
public who is trying to make sense of the crowded marketplace of ideas and institutions.
The vast majority of the think tanks that have come into existence in the last 30 years
have been focused on a single issue or area of policy research. More recently, think
tanks have faced a new competitive threat from consulting firms, law firms, advocacy
groups and cable news networks that now directly compete with think tanks for gifts,
grants and contracts.
IV. Influence and Independence: As think tanks become more visible and influential,
some organizations appear to be losing their voice and independence along the way.
Managing the tensions associated with relevance, influence and independence is a
delicate balancing act that must be carefully managed if think tanks are to maintain their
credibility with policymakers and the public.
V. Outputs vs. Impact: Historically think tanks have placed a focus on output over
impact. How do think tanks measure their impact? For many institutions, it is limited to
the number of books and policy briefs produced rather than providing the impetus for
new legislation or changes in policy. This issue is further complicated by donors who are
increasingly interested in supporting high impact organizations and want think tanks
to demonstrate their impact on public policy.
VI. Phantom NGO Think Tanks: Governments are creating think tanks that are
designed to appear to be non-governmental organizations but are in fact arms of the
government. Likewise, corporations and individuals have established think tanks to
promote their special interests. This trend raises concerns about a lack of transparency
and private interest masquerading as public interest.
VII. Hybrid Organization: As think tanks have faced new challenges in the societies in
which they operate, they have adapted and created hybrid institutions. More and more
think tanks are a blend of organizational types (academic research center, consulting
group, marketing firm, and media outlet) and the roles of key staff have changed as well.
Think tank budgets and staffing patterns now place as much emphasis on policy research
as they do on promoting it and the scholars who conduct it. Today, the staff of think
tank institutions are comprised of multifaceted individuals who are part scholar,
journalist, marketing executive and policy entrepreneur.
VIII. Impact of the Internet, New Media, Social Networking and the Cloud:
Information no longer translates into power unless it is in the right form at the right time,
and it is redefining how think tanks operate. Most think tanks now have websites and
conduct policy debates via the Internet. The reality that more and more people get their
information from the Internet, traditional and new media, and through social networking
sites requires that organizations reexamine how they create, disseminate, and discuss
public policy issues. This reality also requires that organizations reconsider the methods
they use to reach the constituents they represent and/or the clients they serve and to
produce academic-quality research that is understandable and accessible to policymakers
and to the public. These dramatic changes have transformed how public policies are
analyzed, debated and made and think tanks need to keep pace with these changes or be
buried by them.
IX. Action vs. Ideas: Non-partisan, multi-purpose organizations are forced to abandon
traditional methods of operation, such as dialogue and debate, and consider new
methods as funders and other stakeholders in the policy process have grown impatient
with conferences, forums and seminars on public policy issues. This trend owes
significantly to the influence of donors who now prefer operational, advocacy-oriented
programs and institutions over conferences, forums, and seminars. New policy-oriented
22
institutions have out-marketed traditional policy research establishments that fail to
understand and respond to the fundamental changes that have taken place in
Washington and other capitals around the world.
X. Greater Emphasis on External Relations and Marketing Strategies: The rise of
special interests and a need for a quick response to complex policy problems have
created a greater demand for policy research and fostered the growth of specialized
public policy think tanks. This trend has placed greater emphasis on marketing strategies
and external relations that effectively target key constituencies and donors. Think tanks
are forced to redesign their products so they can be disseminated to a number of
strategically selected target audiences for the greatest impact. In this new world, pithy,
punchy policy briefs replace books, journals and white papers in order meet the time
constraints of policymakers and the demand for a quick response to policy issues and
problems. Four hundred-page books and reports now are reduced to a few pages or
words if the material is disseminated as a text message or blog. These new realities pose
immense challenges for think tanks that must adapt to these changes while not losing the
quality and integrity of their research.
XI. Going Global: Think tanks are increasingly adopting a global presence, perspective
and audience. The economist Joseph Stiglitz commented that think tanks must scan
globally and act locally if they are to be effective in todays policy environment. This
trend is driven, in part, by transnational issues such as global warming, proliferation of
weapons of mass destruction, pandemics and terrorism. In recent years, a number of
global think tanks (Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and the International
Crisis Group) have emerged. They are designed to address global issues and serve a
global audience of policymakers. Numerous think tanks are trying to cultivate stronger
ties to counterpart organizations within their region and across the world. The
emergence of regional economic alliances due to global interdependence has created a
new network of regionally oriented policy institutions. But these organizations tend to be
the same ones that find it difficult to compete with the highly specialized organizations
that have a clear market niche and constituency.
XII. Leadership & Managing Tensions: An unprecedented number of think tank
executives are retiring or stepping down. Many of these leaders founded and/or led the
think tanks for many years so the impact and transitions are likely to be problematic. Key
institutions like RAND, Peterson Institute for International Economics, Urban Institute,
and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars have all seen leadership
changes in the last 12 months and others like the Heritage Foundation and the
Brookings Institute are planning for a transition to new leadership. The issue is more
severe in Africa and Eastern and Central Europe where the senior staffs are very small.
Transitions there can have a far greater impact on an organization. The successor
generations of leadership whether of governments or other institutions is never easy,
but nonetheless essential. One bad hire or a rocky transition can cripple an organization
for years. Even when the search for an executive is successful, the institution will face a
range of challenges that will require careful management by the governing board. New
leaders will face new challenges and will be required to deal with the continuing
challenge of managing the tensions among influence and independence, rigor and
relevance, degree of specialization, breadth and depth in the range of issues they seek to
address, between continuity and change in pursuing those issues, and ultimately, having
an impact on policy and the lives of the people in the countries in which they operate.

23
Conclusions
The ongoing challenge for think tanks is to produce timely and accessible policy-oriented research
that effectively engages policymakers, the press and the public on the critical issues facing a country.
Gone are the days when a think tank could operate with the motto research it, write it and they will
find it. Today, think tanks must be lean, mean, policy machines. The Economist described good think
tanks as those organizations that are able to combine intellectual depth, political influence, and flair
for publicity, comfortable surroundings, and a streak of eccentricity. New technologies are being
created every day and at an accelerated pace that will continually force think tanks to identify new
and faster ways to collect, sort and analyze data and then communicate their findings to a highly
segmented target audience using a variety of communication tools. Those who fail to organize and
integrate these qualities into their think tank will become known for their pedantry, irrelevance,
obscurity, poverty and conventionality. Many think tanks have already successfully met this
challenge and are now playing a critical role in bridging the divide between the academic and policy
communities and policymakers and the public.
For all the reasons outlined in this report, the role and importance of independent think tanks
will continue to grow. Clearly there is no shortage of policy challenges at the national, regional and
global level. The world we live in can be characterized by what has been described as the Four Mores:
more issues, more actors, more competition, and more conflict. Over the last 10-15 years,
governments and civil society groups have come to rely on think tanks for ideas and advice, and I am
confident that this trend will continue well into the future.

24
GLOBAL THINK TANK INDEX METHODOLOGY AND TIMELINE
The 2012 Global Go To Think Tanks Rankings process continued to employ the structural changes
implemented in 2011s process. Last years process involved a significant restructuring of the
nomination and selection process, based on feedback from scholars, think tanks, and experts who
had participated in the process over the prior five years. Similarly, this years process implemented a
number of substantive changes, relying on participant feedback and suggestions. Among these
changes were the addition of new and modification of old categories, the expansion of the Expert
Panels, and the continued effort to include think tanks from traditionally underrepresented regions,
particularly those non-OECD countries.
2

Before beginning the 2012 nomination and selection process, a team of some thirty interns
conducted extensive research to establish a comprehensive universe of the worlds known think
tanks. Through this process, a universe of 6,603 think tanks was identified 58 think tanks more
than were identified in 2011 for possible inclusion in the years study. A team of 40 interns spent
approximately 6 weeks updating and verifying the contact information for all the institutions, using
web searches, print and web based lists of think tanks and TTCSP institutional profile surveys, which
were sent to all 6,603 think tanks in the database.
One month in advance of the launch of the 2012 nomination and selection process, all 6,603
think tanks were sent a letter announcing the beginning of the 2012 process and seeking
recommendations both for improving the methodology and for potential Expert Panel members.
Previous years Expert Panel members were further sent a survey that requested that they evaluate
the efficacy and validity of the criteria used in previous years for the nomination and selection
process.

This years process and schedule is summarized below:
Round I: Nominations June August 2012
A call for nominations is sent to 6,603 think tanks and approximately 6,500 journalists, public and
private donors, and policymakers from around the world. These nominations are tabulated by the
research team. Institutions with five or more nominations are included in the 2012 selection process.
Individuals who served on the 2011 Expert Panel and those who were nominated prior to the
beginning of Round I are invited to serve on the 2012 Expert Panel. Experts from every region and
functional area being ranked are included on the Expert Panel.
Round II: Peer and Expert Rankings September November 2012
Think tanks that received five or more nominations in Round I are included in an electronic ranking
survey. A letter announcing the commencement of Round II is emailed to the 6,603 think tanks and
6,500 journalists, public and private donors, and policymakers. Following their completion of the
survey, the rankings are tabulated and the list of finalists is generated and prepared for the Expert
Panels review and approval. The list of nominated institutions is then shared with Expert Panel

2
The OECD, or Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, is a forum of thirty-
four high-income (or developed) countries committed to democracy and the market economy.
25
members, who are asked to identify any serious errors, omissions, or irregularities in the slate of
nominated institutions.
Round III: Expert Panel Selects 2012 Go To Think Tanks November December 2012
Expert Panel members are asked to review the final rankings and recommend any warranted changes.
Their feedback is taken into account, and the Rankings are finalized.
Launch: 2012 Global Go To Think Tank Rankings Announced 17 January 2012
The 2012 Global Go To Think Tank Rankings and Report are announced at the United Nations
University in New York City and at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., as well as through
selected organizations in every region of the world.

2012s Nomination Categories:
I. Top Think Tanks in the World
! Think Tank of the Year 2012 Top Think Tank in the World
! Top Think Tanks Worldwide (Non-US)
! Top Think Tanks Worldwide (US and Non-US)

II. Top Think Tanks by Region
! Top Think Tanks in the United States
! Top Think Tanks in Western Europe
! Top Think Tanks in Central and Eastern Europe
! Top Think Tanks in Asia (excluding China, India, Japan, and the Republic of
Korea)
! Top Think Tanks in China, India, Japan, and the Republic of Korea
! Top Think Tanks in Sub-Saharan Africa
! Top Think Tanks in Mexico and Canada
3

! Top Think Tanks in South and Central America
! Top Think Tanks in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA)

III. Top Think Tanks by Area of Research
! Top Security and International Affairs Think Tanks
! Top International Development Think Tanks
! Top Environment Think Tanks
! Top Health Policy Think Tanks
! Top Domestic Economic Policy Think Tanks
! Top International Economic Policy Think Tanks

3
In previous years, there was a single regional category titled Top Think Tanks in Latin America.
This years rankings split that category into Top Think Tanks in Mexico and Canada and Top
Think Tanks in Central and South America.
26
! Top Social Policy Think Tanks
! Top Science and Technology Think Tanks
! Top Transparency and Good Governance Think Tanks
! Top Energy and Resource Policy Think Tanks
! Top Education Policy Think Tanks (Unranked)

IV. Top Think Tanks by Special Achievement
! Think Tanks with the Most Innovative Policy Ideas/Proposals
! Best New Think Tanks (Established in the last 18 months)
! Think Tanks with Outstanding Policy-Oriented Research Programs
! Think Tanks with the Best Use of the Internet or Social Media
! Think Tanks with the Best Use of the Media (Print or Electronic)
! Think Tanks with the Best External Relations/Public Engagement Programs
! Think Tanks with the Most Significant on Public Policy
! Best University Affiliated Think Tanks
! Best Government Affiliated Think Tanks
! Best Think Tanks with Political Party Affiliation
! Best For-Profit Think Tanks (Unranked)
! Top Think Tanks with Annual Operating Budgets of Less Than $5 Million
USD
4

! Best Advocacy Campaign
! Best Policy Study/Report Produced by a Think Tank 2011-2012

A snapshot of the more than 1950 peer institutions and experts who participated in the 2012
nomination and selection process is provided below:
! 793 expert panelists for all the regional and functional research categories
! 150 journalists and scholars with expertise spanning politics, think tanks, and civil
society
! 55 current and former directors of think tank programs and networks
! 40 public and private donors
! 150 civil society representatives
! 100s of think tanks
! 25-30 intergovernmental organizations
! 120 academic institutions
Further, I am pleased to highlight the increasingly global reach of the rankings, as reflected in the
following statistics regarding this years report:
! 6,603 think tanks from 182 countries were invited to participate in the process

4
This category was added this year in an effort to recognize the work of smaller think tanks that
nevertheless produce influential research but might otherwise be edged out the rankings by think
tanks with bigger budgets and more manpower.
27
! 1,947 individuals from 120 countries participated in the nominations and rankings
process
! Think tanks were nominated, and subsequently ranked, in 38 categories
! A total of 1,647 think tanks were nominated
! A total of 57,018 votes were cast over two voting rounds
! 171 think tanks were nominated as the worlds top think tank

To aid participants in each stage of the nomination and selection process, I requested that those
persons nominating and ranking think tanks strictly adhere to the provided think tank definition,
selection criteria, and think tank assessment tool. Participants were asked to focus on the key aspects
of think tanks performance, such as the rigor and relevance of the research and analysis generated,
the scale of their operations, the breadth of the audience the audience they reach, the sources of their
funding, the contribution of their research and analysis to public debate and to the policymaking
process, and the cumulative impact of their work on public policy. For the sake of the Rankings,
think tanks were defined as follows:
Think tanks or public policy research, analysis, and engagement institutions are
organizations that generate policy-oriented research, analysis, and advice on domestic and
international issues in an effort to enable policymakers and the public to make informed
decisions about public policy issues. Think tanks may be affiliated with political parties,
governments, interest groups, or private corporations or constituted as independent
nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). These institutions often act as a bridge between
the academic and policymaking communities, serving the public interest as an independent
voice that translates applied and basic research into a language and form that is
understandable, reliable, and accessible for policymakers and the public.
Structured as permanent bodies, in contrast with ad hoc commissions or research
panels, think tanks devote a substantial portion of their financial and human resources to
commissioning and publishing research and policy analysis in the social sciences: political
science, economics, public administration, and international affairs. The major outputs of
these organizations are books, monographs, reports, policy briefs, conferences, seminars,
formal briefings and informal discussions with policymakers, government officials, and key
stakeholders.
In an effort to help make sense of this highly diverse set of institutions we have created
a typology that takes into consideration the comparative differences in political systems and
civil societies around the world. While think tanks may perform many roles in their host
societies, not all think tanks do the same things to the same extent. Over the last 85 years,
several distinctive organizational forms of think tanks have come into being that differ
substantially in terms of their operating styles, their patterns of recruitment, their aspirations
to academic standards of objectivity and completeness in research and their engagement of
policy makers, the press and the public. We believe, despite these differences that most think
tanks tend to fall into the broad categories outlined below.

28
As mentioned, the participants were further provided with a set of nominations and ranking criteria.
They appear below:
! Direct relationship between organizations efforts in a particular area to a positive
change in societal values such as significant changes in quality of life within
respective country (amounts of goods and services available to citizens, state of
physical and mental health, quality of environment, quality of political rights, access
to institutions);
! Publication of the organizations work by peer reviewed journals, books and other
authoritative publications;
! Ability to retain elite scholars & analysts;
! Access to elites in the area of policymaking, media and academia;
! Academic reputation (formal accreditation, citation of think tank, publications by
scholars in major academic books, journals, conferences and in other professional
publications);
! Media reputation (number of media appearances, interviews and citations);
! Reputation with policymakers (name recognition with particular issues, number of
briefings and official appointments, policy briefs, legislative testimony delivered);
! Level of organizations financial resources (endowment, membership fees, annual
donations, government and private contracts, earned income);
! Ability of the organization to meet the demands of those that fund it or to meet the
goals of its respective grant-making institution;
! Overall output of organization (policy proposals, publications, interviews,
conferences, staff nominated to official posts);
! Number of recommendations to policymakers, staff serving advisory roles to
policymakers, awards given to scholars;
! Usefulness of organizations information in advocacy work, preparing legislation or
testimony, preparing academic papers or presentations, conducting research or
teaching;
! The organizations ability to produce new knowledge or alternative ideas on policy;
! Ability to bridge the gap between the academic and policymaking communities;
! Ability to bridge the gap between policymakers and the public;
! Ability to include new voices in the policymaking process;
! Ability of organization to be inscribed within issue and policy networks;
Success in challenging the traditional wisdom of policymakers and in generating
innovative policy ideas and programs.

Finally, participants were provided with a think tank assessment tool:

29
Clearly, assessing the impact of think tanks is not an easy endeavor to undertake given
the various and conflicting actors, events, and politics involved in the policy making process.
Despite the significant challenges in establishing a causal relationship between knowledge
and policy, it is necessary for think tanks to understand and effectively respond to the
growing chorus of questions being raised by donors, journalists, and the public about the
role and influence of think tanks in civil societies and governments around the world.
According to the research of Donald Abelson, James McGann, and others, think tanks can
utilize various measures to assess the impact of increases in their activities as well as to
account for their contributions to the policymaking environment and civil society. McGanns
recent (2008) research has focused on developing a comprehensive assessment tool for
evaluating a think tanks impact. The impetus for this research, in part, was the apparent
confusion that exists about the differences between outputs and impacts. In various studies
and surveys that McGann has conducted over the years, researchers and think tanks
responded curiously when asked about impact on public policy and how they measure it.
The overwhelming response was to provide a list of research outputs (number of books
published, conference held, web hits, media appearances, etc.). Outputs, however, are not
the only way to measure impact. The metric provided below is designed to serve as a
catalyst for a discussion on how to effectively measure the impact of think tanks. It is
provided here as background for the think tank ranking process in the hopes that it will help
clarify the distinction between outputs and impacts and provide a useful tool as you prepare
your rankings.
! Resource indicators: Ability to recruit and retain leading scholars and
analysts; the level, quality, and stability of financial support; proximity and
access to decision-makers and other policy elites; a staff with the ability to
conduct rigorous research and produce timely and incisive analysis;
institutional currency; quality and reliability of networks; and key contacts in
the policy academic communities, and the media
! Utilization indicators: Reputation as a go-to organization by media and
policy elites in the country; quantity and quality of media appearances and
citations, web hits, testimony before legislative and executive bodies;
briefings, official appointments, consultation by officials or
departments/agencies; books sold; reports distributed; references made to
research and analysis in scholarly and popular publications and attendees at
conferences and seminars organized
! Output indicators: Number and quality of: policy proposals and ideas
generated; publications produced (books, journal articles, policy briefs, etc.);
news interviews conducted; briefings, conferences, and seminars organized;
and staff who are nominated to advisory and government posts
! Impact indicators: Recommendations considered or adopted by
policymakers and civil society organizations; issue network centrality;
advisory role to political parties, candidates, transition teams; awards
granted; publication in or citation of publications in academic journals,
30
public testimony and the media that influences the policy debate and
decision-making; listserv and website dominance; and success in challenging
the conventional wisdom and standard operating procedures of bureaucrats
and elected officials in the country
Beyond this quantitative assessment, an effective evaluation of impact should also involve
NGOs, as well as members of the government and policymakers, to ascertain the degree to
which they have utilized the grantees research output. This participation can be obtained
through interviews, surveys, questionnaires, and focus group meetings, utilizing the
Outcome Mapping which moves away from assessing the products of an activity or a
program to focus on changes in behaviors and relationships (outcomes) which can lead to
changes. Impact can be viewed as positive if it changes the behavior, relationships,
activities, or actions of the people, groups, and organizations with whom a program works
directly.
Although this qualitative assessment is essential because it recognizes that policy impact can
be successfully achieved even if policy prescriptions are not directly translated into actual
policy, we recommend that this assessment should be translated into numerical rankings,
thereby allowing comparisons with baseline data for effective monitoring and evaluation in
the future.

Participants and Expert Panel members were further asked to adhere to a very simple but important
set of ground rules:
! No self-nominations
! Adherence to professional conduct by revealing and avoiding any potential conflicts
of interest
! Use of the selection criteria provided as a tool when evaluating organizations and
making nominations and selections
! Provision of the formal, full name of the institution nominated and of the country in
which it is based
! Avoidance of national, political, ideological, and disciplinary bias when making all
nominations and selections

The evaluation of these institutions, many of which are by the very nature of their work political,
according to a set of universal, concrete, and objective characteristics is perhaps the Rankings
greatest challenge. As in previous years, I have controlled for this difficulty to the greatest extent
possible, providing every participant with access to the selection criteria, which were designed to
create a common, objective metric for ranking the worlds 6,603 think tanks.
Finally, participants in the nomination and selection process are able to rank the top global
think tanks, top regional think tanks, area of research, and special achievement categories separately.
While this can, at times, lead to apparent discrepancies in which, for example, an institution is
ranking higher globally than it is regionally, or vise versa the particulate nature of the process is
more valuable than these potential discrepancies are detrimental to the reliability of the Rankings. In
31
keeping participation in the various categories separate, participants are not forced to provide
nominations or selections in categories about which they are not knowledgeable. In ranking the
various categories separately, I hope to assure a proper and meaningful regional representation in the
final Rankings.

32
2012 THINK TANK STATISTICS

NUMBER OF THINK TANKS IN THE WORLD IN 2012
Region No. of TT's % of Total
Africa
554 8.4
Asia
1194 18
Europe
1836 27.8
Latin America and the Caribbean
721 11
Middle East and North Africa 339 5.1
North America
1919 29.1
Oceania 40 .6
Total
6603 100

This chart reflects the number of think tanks in 2012 based on data collected as of July 24, 2012

33
2012 GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION OF THINK TANKS BY REGION
6,603 THINK TANKS TOTAL



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34
G20 THINK TANKS
Member GDP (PPP) Population Think Tanks
Argentina $596 billion 41.769,726 137
Australia $882.4 billion 21.766.711 30
Brazil $2.172 trillion 203,766,711 82
Canada $1.33 trillion 34,030,589 96
China $10.09 trillion 1,336,718,015 429
European Union $14.82 trillion 492,387,344 1457
France $2.145 trillion 65,312,249 177
Germany $2.94 trillion 81,471,834 194
India $4.06 trillion 1,189,172,906 269
Indonesia $1.03 trillion 245,613,043 21
Italy $1.774 trillion 61,016,804 107
Japan $4.31 trillion 126,475,664 108
Mexico $1.567 trillion 113,724,226 60
Republic of Korea $1.459 trillion 48,754,657 35
Russia $2.223 trillion 138,739,892 122
Saudi Arabia $622 billion 26,131,703 4
South Africa $524 billion 40,004,031 86
Turkey $960.5 billion 78,785,548 27
United Kingdom $2.173 trillion 62,698,362 288
United States $14.66 trillion 313,232,044 1823


35
COUNTRIES WITH THE LARGEST NUMBER OF THINK TANKS
5

1 United States 1823
2 China 429
3 United Kingdom 288
4 India 269
5 Germany 194
6 France 177
7 Argentina 137
8 Russia 122
9 Japan 108
10 Italy 107
11 Canada 96
12 South Africa 86
13 Brazil 82
14 Sweden 77
15 Switzerland 71
16 Mexico 60
17 Netherlands 57
18 Spain 55
19 Romania 54
19 Israel 54
21 Kenya 53
21 Belgium 53
23 Taiwan 52
24 Bolivia 51
25 Ukraine 47




5
We have not been able to identify any think tanks operating in the following countries:
Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, Aruba, British Virgin Islands, Brunei, Cayman Islands, Comoros,
Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, French Guiana, Kiribati, Macao, Marshall Islands, Micronesia,
Monaco, Montserrat, Myanmar, Nauru, Palau, San Marino, Sao Tome & Principe, Solomon Islands,
Tonga, Turkmenistan, Turks And Caicos Islands, Tuvalu, U.S. Virgin Islands, Vanuatu.
36
COUNTRIES WITH TEN OR MORE THINK TANKS
AFRICA ASIA EASTERN EUROPE WESTERN EUROPE
South Africa 86 China 429 Russia 122 United Kingdom 288
Kenya 53 India 269 Romania 54 Germany 194
Nigeria 46 Japan 108 Ukraine 47 France 177
Ghana 36 Taiwan 52 Poland 41 Italy 107
Uganda 28 South Korea 35 Hungary 40 Sweden 77
Ethiopia 25 Bangladesh 35 Bulgaria 33 Switzerland 71
Zimbabwe 24 Hong Kong 30 Czech Republic 27 Netherlands 57
Cameroon 21 Indonesia 21 Serbia 24 Spain 55
Burkina Faso 16 Philippines 20 Lithuania 19 Belgium 53
Senegal 16 Pakistan 19 Slovenia 19 Austria 40
Malawi 15 Malaysia 18 Slovakia 18 Greece 35
Tanzania 15 Armenia 14 Estonia 17 Denmark 34
Benin 14 Sri Lanka 14 Macedonia (FYR) 16 Finland 28
Namibia 14 Nepal 13 Bosnia & Herzegovina 13 Portugal 21
Botswana 13 Azerbaijan 13 Belarus 12 Norway 15
Cte d'Ivoire 12 Georgia 13 Latvia 11 Ireland 14

Cambodia 10 Albania 10


Kyrgyzstan 10 Croatia 10


LATIN AMERICA MIDDLE EAST NORTH AMERICA OCEANIA
Argentina 137 Israel 54 United States 1823 Australia 30
Brazil 82 Egypt 34 Canada 96
Mexico 60 Iran 33
Bolivia 51 Iraq 29
Chile 41 Palestine 28
Colombia 40 Turkey 27
Costa Rica 37 Yemen 23
Peru 32 Tunisia 18
Dominican Republic 28 Jordan 16
Paraguay 27 Lebanon 12
Cuba 19 Kuwait 11
Ecuador 18 Morocco 11
Uruguay 17
Venezuela 17
El Salvador 13
Panama 12
Guatemala 12
Nicaragua 10
Trinidad & Tobago 10

37
GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION OF THINK TANKS BY COUNTRY
AFRICA ASIA EASTERN EUROPE WESTERN EUROPE
Angola 4 Afghanistan 6 Albania 10 Andorra 1
Benin 14 Armenia 14 Belarus 12 Austria 40
Botswana 13 Azerbaijan 13 Bosnia & Herzegovina 13 Belgium 53
Burkina Faso 16 Bangladesh 35 Bulgaria 33 Denmark 34
Burundi 5 Bhutan 1 Croatia 10 Finland 28
Cameroon 21 Brunei 0 Czech Republic 27 France
17
7
Cape Verde 2 Cambodia 10 Estonia 17 Germany
19
4
Central African Republic 2 China
42
9
Hungary 40 Greece 35
Chad 3 Georgia 13 Kosovo 3 Iceland 7
Comoros 0 Hong Kong 30 Latvia 11 Ireland 14
Congo 3 India
26
9
Lithuania 19 Italy
10
7
Congo, D.R. 7 Indonesia 21 Macedonia (FYR) 16 Liechtenstein 2
Cte d'Ivoire 12 Japan
10
8
Moldova 9 Luxembourg 6
Djibouti 0 Kazakhstan 8 Montenegro 4 Malta 4
Equatorial Guinea 0 Kyrgyzstan 10 Poland 41 Monaco 0
Eritrea 5 Laos 3 Romania 54 Netherlands 57
Ethiopia 25 Macao 0 Russia
12
2
Norway 15
Gabon 2 Malaysia 18 Serbia 24 Portugal 21
Gambia 6 Maldives 6 Slovakia 18 San Marino 0
Ghana 36 Mongolia 7 Slovenia 19 Spain 55
Guinea 2 Myanmar 0 Ukraine 47 Sweden 77
Guinea-Bissau 1 Nepal 13 Region Total
54
9
Switzerland 71
Kenya 53 North Korea 2 United Kingdom
28
8
Lesotho 4 Pakistan 19 Vatican City 1
Liberia 3 Philippines 20 Region Total
12
87
Madagascar 5 Singapore 6
Malawi 15 South Korea 35
Mali 9 Sri Lanka 14
Mauritania 2 Taiwan 52
Mauritius 9 Tajikistan 7
Mozambique 4 Thailand 8
Namibia 14 Turkmenistan 0
Niger 4 Uzbekistan 8
Nigeria 46 Vietnam 9
Rwanda 7 Region Total
11
94

Sao Tome & Principe 0
Senegal 16
Seychelles 3
Sierra Leone 1
Somalia 6
South Africa 86
Sudan 4
Swaziland 4
Tanzania 15
Togo 4
Uganda 28
Zambia 9
Zimbabwe 24
Region Total
55
4




38
LATIN
AMERICA
MIDDLE EAST NORTH AMERICA OCEANIA
Anguilla 0 Algeria 9 Canada 96 Australia 30
Antigua & Barbuda 1 Bahrain 4 United States
18
23
Fiji 1
Argentina
13
7
Cyprus 6 Region Total
19
19
Kiribati 0
Aruba 0 Egypt 34 Marshall Islands 0
Bahamas 2 Iran 33 Micronesia 0
Barbados 7 Iraq 29 Nauru 0
Belize 4 Israel 54 New Zealand 6
Bermuda 3 Jordan 16 Palau 0
Bolivia 51 Kuwait 11 Papua N. Guinea 2
Brazil 82 Lebanon 12 Samoa 1
British Virgin Islands 0 Libya 1 Solomon Islands 0
Cayman Islands 0 Morocco 11 Tonga 0
Chile 41 Oman 2 Tuvalu 0
Colombia 40 Palestine 28 Vanuatu 0
Costa Rica 37 Qatar 6 Region Total 40
Cuba 18 Saudi Arabia 4
Dominica 3 Syria 5
Dominican Republic 28 Tunisia 18
Ecuador 18 Turkey 27
French Guiana 0 U.A.E 6
El Salvador 13 Yemen 23 2012 WORLD
TOTAL Grenada 1 Region Total
33
9

6,603
Guadeloupe 4
Guatemala 12
Guyana 3
Haiti 2
Honduras 9
Jamaica 7
Martinique 2


Mexico 60
Montserrat 0
Nicaragua 10
Panama 12
Paraguay 27
Peru 32


Puerto Rico 5
St. Kitts-Nevis 1
St. Lucia 2
St. Vincent 1
Suriname 2
Trinidad & Tobago 10
Uruguay 17
Venezuela 17
Turks and Caicos Islands 0
U.S. Virgin Islands 0
Region Total
72
1







39
UNITED STATES THINK TANKS BY STATE
(FROM MOST TO FEWEST)
WASHINGTON D.C. 394
MASSACHUSETTS 176
CALIFORNIA 170
NEW YORK 143
VIRGINIA 106
ILLINOIS 55
MARYLAND 50
TEXAS 47
CONNECTICUT 46
PENNSYLVANIA 41
NEW JERSEY 36
FLORIDA 31
MICHIGAN 31
COLORADO 31
GEORGIA 29
OHIO 25
MINNESOTA 23
NORTH CAROLINA 23
WASHINGTON 23
WISCONSIN 22
ARIZONA 21
INDIANA 21
MAINE 20
RHODE ISLAND 20
TENNESSEE 19
MISSOURI 18
ALABAMA 16
KANSAS 16
OREGON 16
NEW HAMPSHIRE 13
HAWAII 12
KENTUCKY 11
OKLAMOMA 11
IOWA 10
LOUISIANA 10
MISSISSIPPI 10
ARKANSAS 8
MONTANA 8
NEBRASKA 7
40
NEW MEXICO 7
UTAH 7
SOUTH CAROLINA 6
WEST VIRGINIA 6
SOUTH DAKOTA 5
VERMONT 5
IDAHO 4
NEVADA 4
NORTH DAKOTA 4
ALASKA 3
DELAWARE 3

41
2012 GLOBAL GO TO THINK TANKS RANKING RESULTS

I would like to point out that the inclusion of an institution in the universe of leading think
tanks does not indicate a seal of approval or endorsement for the institution, its publications,
or programs on the part of the Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program. Likewise a failure
to be nominated does not necessarily indicate a lack of a quality and effectiveness or poor
performance. There are 6,603 think tanks that are doing exceptional work to help bridge the
cap between knowledge and policy. This report is no more than an effort to highlight some
of the leading think tanks worldwide. The results of the 2012 rankings process are provided
below.

Think Tank of the Year 2012 Top Think Tank in the World
Table #1

1. Brookings Institution (United States)

42

Top 100 Think Tanks Worldwide (Non-US)
Table #2


1. Chatham House (United Kingdom)
2. Bruegel (Belgium)
3. Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) (Sweden)
4. Amnesty International (United Kingdom)
5. Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) (China)
6. International Crisis Group (ICG) (Belgium)
7. International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) (United Kingdom)
8. Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS) (Belgium)
9. European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) (United Kingdom)
10. Transparency International (TI) (Germany)
11. Center for Economic Policy Research (CEPR) (United Kingdom)
12. French Institute of International Relations (IFRI) (France)
13. German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP) (Germany)
14. Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIA) (Japan)
15. Korea Development Institute (KDI) (Republic of Korea)
16. Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS) (Germany)
17. Carnegie Middle East Center (Lebanon)
18. Friedrich Ebert Foundation (FES) (Germany)
19. Carnegie Moscow Center (Russia)
20. Human Rights Watch (United Kingdom)
21. Clingendael, Netherlands Institute of International Relations (The Netherlands)
22. Fundao Getulio Vargas (FGV) (Brazil)
23. Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) (United Kingdom)
24. Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI) (Japan)
25. China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations (CICIR) (China)
26. Danish Institute of International Studies (DIIS) (Denmark)
27. Kiel Institute for World Economy (Germany)
28. Lowy Institute for International Policy (Australia)
29. Fraser Institute (Canada)
30. German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP) (Germany)
31. Overseas Development Institute (ODI) (United Kingdom)
32. Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI) (Canada)
33. Centro Brasileiro de Relaes Internacionais (CEBRI) (Brazil)
34. Centre for European Reform (CER) (United Kingdom)
35. Barcelona Centre for International Affairs (CIDOB) (Spain)
36. China Institute of International Studies (CIIS) (China)
37. African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (ACCORD) (South Africa)
38. North- South Institute (NSI) (Canada)
43
39. Consejo Argentino para las Relaciones Internacionales (CARI) (Argentina)
40. German Development Institute (DIE) (Germany)
41. Institute of Development Studies (IDS) (United Kingdom)
42. Singapore Institute of International Affairs (SIIA) (Singapore)
43. Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation (TESEV) (Turkey)
44. Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI) (Norway)
45. South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) (South Africa)
46. Institute of World Economy and International Relations (IMEMO, RAS) (Russia)
47. Institute for Security Studies (ISS) (South Africa)
48. Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS) (Singapore)
49. Korea Institute for International Economic Policy (KIEP) (Republic of Korea)
50. Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) (Norway)
51. Centre for Civil Society (CCS) (India)
52. Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) (Indonesia)
53. IDEAS (United Kingdom)
54. Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA) (India)
55. RAND Europe (United Kingdom)
56. Center for Policy Studies at Central European University (CPS-CEU) (Hungary)
57. Civitas: Institute for the Study of Civil Society (United Kingdom)
58. Razumkov Centre (Ukraine)
59. European Union Institute for Security Studies (EUISS) (France)
60. Polish Institute of International Affairs (PISM) (Poland)
61. Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies (IDSS) (Singapore)
62. Center for Social and Economic Research (CASE) (Poland)
63. Center for Economic and Social Development (CESD) (Azerbaijan)
64. Shanghai Institutes of International Studies (China)
65. Demos (United Kingdom)
66. Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies (ACPSS) (Egypt)
67. Bonn International Center for Conversion (BICC) (Germany)
68. Association for Liberal Thinking (ALT) (Turkey)
69. IMANI Center for Policy and Education (Ghana)
70. Adam Smith Institute (ASI) (United Kingdom)
71. African Economic Research Consortium (AERC) (Kenya)
72. Centro Euro Mediterraneo sui Cambiamenti Climatici (CMCC) (Italy)
73. Centre for Conflict Resolution (CCR) (South Africa)
74. Facultad Latinoamerica de Ciencias Sociales (FLACSO) (Costa Rica)
75. Timbro (Sweden)
76. African Technology Policy Studies Network (ATPS) (Kenya)
77. Foundation for International Relations and Foreign Dialogue (FRIDE) (Spain)
78. Center for Free Enterprise (Republic of Korea)
79. Development Research Center of the State Council (China)
80. European Center for International Political Economy (ECIPE) (Belgium)
44
81. The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) (India)
82. Council on Foreign and Defense Policy (SVOP) (Russia)
83. Egmont Institute, The Royal Institute for International Relations (Belgium)
84. Istituto Bruno Leoni (Italy)
85. East Asia Institute(EAI) (Republic of Korea)
86. Open Society Institute (OSI) (Hungary)
87. European Policy Centre (EPC) (Belgium)
88. Fundacin para el Anlisis y los Estudios Sociales (FAES) (Spain)
89. Heinrich Boll Stiftung (HBS) (Germany)
90. Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO) (Russia)
91. African Centre for Technology Studies (ACTS) (Kenya)
92. Centro de Estudios Pblicos (CEP) (Chile)
93. Institute for International Political Studies (ISPI) (Italy)
94. Free Market Foundation (FMF) (South Africa)
95. Policy Exchange (United Kingdom)
96. Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) (Israel)
97. Libertad y Desarrollo (Chile)
98. Centre for Policy Studies (CPS) (United Kingdom)
99. Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS) (Bangladesh)
100. Fundacin Libertad (Argentina)


45

Top 150 Think Tanks Worldwide (US and Non-US)
Table #3

1. Brookings Institution (United States)
2. Chatham House (United Kingdom)
3. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (United States)
4. Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) (Sweden)
5. Center for Strategic and International Studies (United States)
6. Council on Foreign Relations (United States)
7. Amnesty International (United Kingdom)
8. Bruegel (Belgium)
9. Rand Corporation (United States)
10. International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) (United Kingdom)
11. Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars (United States)
12. Transparency International (TI) (Germany)
13. German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP) (Germany)
14. International Crisis Group (ICG) (Belgium)
15. Peterson Institute for International Economics (United States)
16. Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIA) (Japan)
17. Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) (China)
18. Heritage Foundation (United States)
19. Cato Institute (United States)
20. American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research (AEI) (United States)
21. European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) (United Kingdom)
22. French Institute of International Relations (IFRI) (France)
23. Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS) (Belgium)
24. Fundao Getulio Vargas (FGV) (Brazil)
25. Fraser Institute (Canada)
26. German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP) (Germany)
27. Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR) (United Kingdom)
28. Clingendael, Netherlands Institute of International Relations (The Netherlands)
29. Carnegie Moscow Center (Russia)
30. Center for American Progress (CAP) (United States)
31. Centre for European Studies (CES) (Belgium)
32. Asian Development Bank Institute (Japan)
33. Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS) (Germany)
34. Institute for World Economy and International Relations (IMEMO, RAS) (Russia)
35. World Economic Forum (Switzerland)
36. Carnegie Middle East Center (Lebanon)
37. Friedrich Ebert Foundation (FES) (Germany)
38. China Institute of International Studies (CIIS) (China)
46
39. Consejo Argentino para las Relaciones Internacionales (CARI) (Argentina)
40. Kiel Institute for World Economy (Germany)
41. Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI) (Canada)
42. Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) (United Kingdom)
43. Danish Institute of International Studies (DIIS) (Denmark)
44. Lowy Institute for International Policy (Australia)
45. IDEAS (United Kingdom)
46. Human Rights Watch (United Kingdom)
47. Overseas Development Institute (ODI) (United Kingdom)
48. China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations (CICIR) (China)
49. Institute of Economic Affairs (United Kingdom)
50. Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies (Egypt)
51. Centre for Civil Society (CCS) (India)
52. Civitas: Institute for the Study of Civil Society (United Kingdom)
53. RAND Europe (United Kingdom)
54. Libertad y Desarrollo (Chile)
55. Korea Institute for International Economic Policy (KIEP) (Republic of Korea)
56. Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources Policy Analysis Network (FANRPAN) (South Africa)
57. Bonn International Center for Conversion (BICC) (Germany)
58. Korea Development Institute (KDI) (Republic of Korea)
59. Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) (Norway)
60. Fundacin para el Anlisis y los Estudios Sociales (FAES) (Spain)
61. African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (ACCORD) (South Africa)
62. African Economic Research Consortium (AERC) (Kenya)
63. Center for International and Strategic Studies (China)
64. Barcelona Centre for International Affairs (CIDOB) (Spain)
65. East Asia Institute (EAI) (Republic of Korea)
66. Polish Institute of International Affairs (PISM) (Poland)
67. Demos (United Kingdom)
68. Center for Social and Economic Research (CASE) (Poland)
69. European Union Institute for Security Studies (EUISS) (France)
70. Centre For European Reform (CER) (United Kingdom)
71. Open Society Institute (OSI) (Hungary)
72. European Center for International Political Economy (ECIPE) (Belgium)
73. Shanghai Institutes of International Studies (China)
74. Centre for Strategic and International Studies (Indonesia)
75. Foundation for International Relations and Foreign Dialogue (FRIDE) (Spain)
76. Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI) (Norway)
77. Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation (TESEV) (Turkey)
78. Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies (IDSS) (Singapore)
79. Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security (IFANS) (Republic of Korea)
80. German Development Institute (DIE) (Germany)
47
81. South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) (South Africa)
82. Singapore Institute of International Affairs (SIIA) (Singapore)
83. Heinrich Boll Stiftung (HBS) (Germany)
84. Razumkov Center (Ukraine)
85. Timbro (Sweden)
86. Centre for Conflict Resolution (South Africa)
87. Centre for Policy Studies (CPS) (United Kingdom)
88. Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS) (Singapore)
89. Association for Liberal Thinking (ALT) (Turkey)
90. Centre for Public Policy Studies (CPPS) (Malaysia)
91. Centro de Estudios Pblicos (CEP) (Chile)
92. Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI) (Italy)
93. African Technology Policy Studies Network (ATPS) (Kenya)
94. Institute of Development Studies (IDS) (United Kingdom)
95. Real Instituto Elcano (Elcano Royal Institute) (Spain)
96. Facultad Latinoamerica de Ciencias Sociales (FLACSO) (Costa Rica)
97. African Centre for Technology Studies (ACTS) (Kenya)
98. Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS) (Bangladesh)
99. Council on Foreign and Defense Policy (SVOP) (Russia)
100. Development Research Center of the State Council (China)
101. F.A. Hayek Foundation (Slovakia)
102. Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO) (Russia)
103. Centre for Independent Studies (CIS) (Australia)
104. Center for Policy Studies at Central European University (CPS-CEU) (Hungary)
105. Institute for Defence Studies and Analysis (IDSA) (India)
106. Center for Free Enterprise (CFE) (Republic of Korea)
107. Fundacin Libertad (Argentina)
108. Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) (Israel)
119. Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER) (India)
110. The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) (India)
111. IMANI Center for Policy and Education (Ghana)
112. Institute for International Policy Studies (IIPS) (Japan)
113. Institute for Security Studies (ISS) (South Africa)
114. Egmont Institute, The Royal Institute for International Relations (Belgium)
115. Observer Research Foundation (India)
116. Policy Exchange (United Kingdom)
117. European Policy Centre (EPC) (Belgium)
118. Fundao Armando Alvares Penteado (Brazil)
119. Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) (Germany)
120. Free Market Foundation (South Africa)
121. Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA) (Senegal)
122. Lithuanian Free Market Institute (Lithuania)
48
123. Istituto Bruno Leoni (Italy)
124. Center for Strategic Studies (SAM) (Azerbaijan)
125. Instituto Ecuatoriano de Economia Politica (IEEP) (Ecuador)
126. Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom (FNF) (Germany)
127. Institute for Development and Global Governance (DRI) (France)
128. Centro Euro Mediterraneo sui Cambiamenti Climatici (CMCC) (Italy)
129. Regional Centre for Strategic Studies (RCSS) (Sri Lanka)
130. Centro Divulgacin Conocimiento Economico para la Libertad (CEDICE Libertad) (Venezuela)
131. Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei (FEEM) (Italy)
132. Centro de Estudio de Realidad Econmica y Social (CERES) (Uruguay)
133. Economic Research Center (ERC) (Azerbaijan)
134. Organization for Social Science Research in Africa (OSSREA) (Ethiopia)
135. National Institute for Defense Studies (NIDS) (Japan)
136. Economic Policy Research Centre (EPRC) (Uganda)
137. Institute for Economic Research (IFO) (Germany)
138. Institucin Futuro (Spain)
139. Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis (KIPPRA) (Kenya)
140. Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP) (Greece)
141. Development Alternatives (India)
142. Finnish Institute of International Affairs (FIIA) (Finland)
143. Centre for Strategic Research and Analysis (CESRAN) (Turkey)
144. Instituto de Estudos Empresariais (IEE) (Brazil)
145. National Institute for Research Advancement (NIRA) (Japan)
146. Centro de Investigaciones Economicas Nacionales (CIEN) (Guatemala)
147. Gulf Research Center (GRC) (Saudi Arabia)
148. Israel-Palestine Center for Research and Information (Palestinian Authority)
149. Instituto Ciencia Poltica (ICP) (Colombia)
150. Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (Ghana)

49
Top Think Tanks By Region

Top 55 Think Tanks in the United States
Table #4

1. Brookings Institution (United States)
2. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (United States)
3. Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) (United States)
4. Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) (United States)
5. RAND Corporation (United States)
6. Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars (United States)
7. American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research (AEI) (United States)
8. Pew Research Center (United States)
9. Heritage Foundation (United States)
10. Cato Institute (United States)
11. Center for American Progress (CAP) (United States)
12. Peterson Institute for International Economics (United States)
13. National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) (United States)
14. Center for a New American Security (CNAS) (United States)
15. World Resources Institute (WRI) (United States)
16. Hoover Institution (United States)
17. Atlantic Council of the United States (United States)
18. United States Institute of Peace (USIP) (United States)
19. Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs (United States)
20. Earth Institute (United States)
21. James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy (United States)
22. Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs (United States)
23. Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) (United States)
24. Urban Institute (United States)
25. Center for International Development (CID) (United States)
26. Center for Global Development (CGD) (United States)
27. Open Society Institute (OSI) (United States)
28. Freedom House (United States)
29. Human Rights Watch (United States)
30. Stimson Center (United States)
31. Hudson Institute (United States
32. New America Foundation (United States)
33. Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI) (United States)
34. Acton Institute (United States)
35. Worldwatch Institute (United States)
36. Resources for the Future (RFF) (United States)
50
37. Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES), FNA Pew Center on Global Climate Change
(United States)
38. Inter-American Dialogue (United States)
39. German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF) (United States)
40. Center for the National Interest, FNA Nixon Center (United States)
41. Aspen Institute (United States)
42. International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) (United States)
43. Reason Foundation (United States)
44. Center for Transatlantic Relations (CTR) (United States)
45. Foundation for Economic Education (FEE) (United States)
46. Manhattan Institute for Policy Research (MI) (United States)
47. Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) (United States)
48. Mercatus Center (United States)
49. Economic Policy Institute (EPI) (United States)
50. Pacific Research Institute (United States)
51. Institute for Policy Studies (IPS) (United States)
52. Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) (United States)
53. Demos US (United States)
54. Independent Institute (United States)
55. EastWest Institute (EWI) (United States)

51
Top 75 Think Tanks in Western Europe
Table #5
1. Bruegel (Belgium)
2. Chatham House (United Kingdom)
3. Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) (Sweden)
4. International Crisis Group (ICG) (Belgium)
5. Amnesty International (United Kingdom)
6. Transparency International (TI) (Germany)
7. International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) (United Kingdom)
8. Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS) (Belgium)
9. World Economic Forum (Switzerland)
10. Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS) (Germany)
11. Friedrich Ebert Foundation (FES) (Germany)
12. French Institute of International Relations (IFRI) (France)
13. European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) (United Kingdom)
14. German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP) (Germany)
15. Kiel Institute for World Economy (Germany)
16. Clingendael, Netherlands Institute of International Relations (The Netherlands)
17. Carnegie Europe (Belgium)
18. Barcelona Centre for International Affairs (CIDOB) (Spain)
19. German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP) (Germany)
20. Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS) (Denmark)
21. Overseas Development Institute (ODI) (United Kingdom)
22. Adam Smith Institute (United Kingdom)
23. Fundacin para las Relaciones Internacionales y el Dilogo (FRIDE) (Spain)
24. Center for Economic Policy Research (CEPR) (United Kingdom)
25. Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) (Norway)
26. Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) (United Kingdom)
27. Civitas: Institute for Study of Civil Society (United Kingdom)
28. Demos (United Kingdom)
29. IDEAS (United Kingdom)
30. Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI) (Italy)
31. Egmont Institute, Royal Institute for International Relations (Belgium)
32. German Development Institute (DIE) (Germany)
33. Ecologic Institute (Germany)
34. Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) (United Kingdom)
35. Hanns Seidel Foundation (Germany)
36. European Policy Center (EPC) (Belgium)
37. Institute of International and European Affairs (IIEA) (Ireland)
38. Centre for European Studies (Belgium)
39. European Union Institute for Security Studies (EUISS) (France)
52
40. Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI) (Norway)
41. Centre d'Etudes et de Recherches Internationales (CERI) (France)
42. Real Instituto Elcano, Elcano Royal Institute (Spain)
43. Centre for European Reform (CER) (United Kingdom)
44. European Centre for Development Policy Management (ECDPM) (The Netherlands)
45. Friedrich Naumann Foundation (Germany)
46. Heinrich Boll Stiftung (HBS) (Germany)
47. Timbro (Sweden)
48. Fondation pour lInnovation Politique (France)
49. Hayek Institute (Austria)
50. Fabian Society (United Kingdom)
51. Bertelsmann Foundation (Germany)
52. Centre d'Etudes Prospectives et d'Informations Internationales (CEPII) (France)
53. Danish Centre for Political Studies (CEPOS) (Denmark)
54. Friends of Europe (Belgium)
55. Foreign Policy Center (FPC) (Belgium)
56. Policy Network (United Kingdom)
57. Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP) (Greece)
58. German Institute for Economic Research (DIW) (Germany)
59. European Centre for International Political Economy (ECIPE) (Belgium)
60. Fundacin para el Anlisis y los Estudios Sociales (FAES) (Spain)
61. Institute of Fiscal Studies (United Kingdom)
62. Institut des Relations Internationales et Strategique (IRIS) (France)
63. Center for Policy Studies (United Kingdom)
64. Institute for Government (United Kingdom)
65. Institute for International Political Studies (ISPI) (Italy)
66. Lisbon Council for Economic Competitiveness (Belgium)
67. International Centre for Black Sea Studies (ICBSS) (Greece)
68. Institucin Futuro (Spain)
69. Istituto Bruno Leoni (Italy)
70. Policy Exchange (UK) (United Kingdom)
71. Avenir Suisse (Switzerland)
72. Oxford Council on Good Governance (OCGG) (United Kingdom)
73. Res Publica (United Kingdom)
74. Fundacin Alternativas (Spain)
75. Security and Defense Agenda (SDA) (Belgium)

53
Top 60 Think Tanks in Central and Eastern Europe
Table #6
1. Center for Social and Economic Research (CASE) (Poland)
2. Carnegie Moscow Center (Russia)
3. Institute of World Economy and International Relations (IMEMO, RAS) (Russia)
4. Polish Institute of International Affairs (PISM) (Poland)
5. Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO) (Russia)
6. Center for Economic and Financial Research (CEFIR) (Russia)
7. Centre for Eastern Studies (OSW) (Poland)
8. Razumkov Center (Ukraine)
9. Center for Democracy and Human Rights (CEDEM) (Montenegro)
10. Center for Security and Defense Studies (Hungary)
11. Lithuanian Free Market Institute (Lithuania)
12. Prague Security Studies Institute (Czech Republic)
13. Centre for Liberal Strategies (Bulgaria)
14. PRAXIS Center for Policy Studies (Estonia)
15. F.A. Hayek Foundation (Slovakia)
16. Slovak Foreign Policy Association (Slovakia)
17. Belgrade Centre for Security Policy (FNA Centre for Civil-Military Relations) (Serbia)
18. Demos Europa Centre for European Strategy (Poland)
19. Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies (Georgia)
20. Independent Institute for Social Policy (Russia)
21. Center for Policy Studies (Hungary)
22. Centre for Public Policy PROVIDUS (Latvia)
23. Hungarian Institute of International Affairs (Hungary)
24. Albanian Institute for International Studies (Albania)
25. Liberalni Institut (Czech Republic)
26. Ludwig von Mises Institute (Romania)
27. Center for International Relations (Poland)
28. Institute for the USA and Canadian Studies (Russia)
29. Open Society Institute (OSI) (Hungary)
30. Center for Eastern Geopolitical Studies (Lithuania)
31. European Institute for European Policy (Czech Republic)
32. Center for Strategic Studies (Azerbaijan)
33. Gaidar Institute for Economic Policy (FNA Institute for the Economy in Transition) (Russia)
34. Economic Expert Group (Russia)
35. Vadim Getman Kiev National Economic University (FNA Kiev Economic Institute) (Ukraine)
36. European Institute (Bulgaria)
37. TARKI Social Research Institute (Hungary)
38. Kosovar Civil Society Foundation (Kosovo)
39. Institute for Economic Research (IER) (Slovenia)
54
40. Strategia St. Petersburg Center for Humanities and Political Studies (Russia)
41. Institute of International Relations (Czech Republic)
42. Institute for Policy Studies (IPS) (Georgia)
43. International Centre for Policy Studies (ICPS) (Ukraine)
44. Center for Research and Policy Making (Macedonia)
45. Institute for Market Economics (Bulgaria)
46. Institute for Urban Economics (IUE) (Croatia)
47. International Center for Human Development (Armenia)
48. Research Center of the Slovak Foreign Policy Association (Slovakia)
49. Institute of Public Affairs (Bulgaria)
50. International Centre for Defense Studies (Estonia)
51. Economics Institute (Serbia)
52. Populari (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
53. Institute for Public Affairs (Slovakia)
54. Institute of Economics (EIZ) (Lithuania)
55. Institute of Public Affairs (Romania)
56. Institute for Security and International Studies (Russia)
57. Institute of Strategic and Defense Studies at the National Defense University (Hungary)
58. Institute for Public Policy (Russia)
59. Institute of Baltic Studies (Czech Republic)
60. Russian Council on International Affairs (RSMD) (Russia)

55
Top 40 Think Tanks in Asia (Excluding China, India, Japan, and
the Republic of Korea)
Table #7
1. Lowy Institute (Australia)
2. Singapore Institute of International Affairs (SIIA) (Singapore)
3. Centre for Strategic Studies (CSS) (New Zealand)
4. Australian Institute for International Affairs (AIIA) (Australia)
5. East Asian Institute (Singapore)
6. Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) (Indonesia)
7. Centre for Public Policy Studies (Malaysia)
8. Taiwan Foundation for Democracy (Taiwan)
9. The Centre for Independent Studies (Australia)
10. Institute of Strategic and International Studies (ISIS) (Malaysia)
11. Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS) (Singapore)
12. Institute of Strategic and International Studies (ISIS) (Philippines)
13. Strategic and Defense Studies Centre (SDSC) (Australia)
14. Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (Indonesia)
15. Bangladesh Institute for Development Studies (BIDS)
16. Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies (IDSS) (Singapore)
17. Taiwan Institute of Economic Research
18. Center for Economic Research (Uzbekistan)
19. Institute of Strategic and Development Studies (ISDS) (Singapore)
20. Institute for Social and Environmental Transition (Taiwan)
21. Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) (Bangladesh)
22. Social Policy and Development Centre (SPDC) (Pakistan)
23. Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace (Cambodia)
24. Institute of Policy Studies of Sri Lanka (Sri Lanka)
25. Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research, Taiwan
26. Sustainable Development Policy Institute (Pakistan)
27. Institute of World Economics and Politics (IWEP) (Vietnam)
28. Regional Center for Strategic Studies (RCSS) (Sri Lanka)
29. Political Risks Assessment Group (Singapore)
30. Alternate Solutions Institute (Pakistan)
31. The Institute of Security and International Studies (ISIS Thailand)
32. Institute of National Capacity Studies (Indonesia)
33. Darussalam Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies (BDIPSS) (Brunei)
34. Foundation for Tolerance International (Kyrgyzstan)
35. Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam (Formerly Institute for International Relations (IIR) (Vietnam)
36. Center for Research on Economic and Social Transformation (CREST) (Pakistan)
37. Centre for Poverty Analysis (CEPA) (Sri Lanka)
38. Vietnam Institute of Economics (Vietnam)
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39. Economic Institute of Cambodia (Cambodia)
40. Centre for Strategic and Policy Studies (CSPS) (Brunei)

57
Top 45 Think Tanks in China, India, Japan, and the Republic of Korea
Table #8
1. Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) (China)
2. Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIA) (Japan)
3. Korea Development Institute (KDI) (Republic of Korea)
4. China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations (CICIR) (China)
5. Asan Institute for Policy Studies (Republic of Korea)
6. Asia Forum Japan (AFJ) (Japan)
7. Carnegie China Center at Tsinghua Center for Global Policy (China)
8. China Institute of International Studies (CIIS) (China)
9. Korea Institute for Economic Policy (Republic of Korea)
10. Observer Research Foundation (India)
11. Institute for Defense Studies and Analyses (IDSA) (India )
12. Centre for Policy Research (India)
13. National Institute for Defense Studies (NIDS) (Japan)
14. Shanghai Institute for International Studies (SIIS) (China)
15. Centre for Civil Society (CSS) (India)
16. Center for Free Enterprise (Republic of Korea)
17. East Asia Institute (Republic of Korea)
18. Center for International and Strategic Studies (China)
19. Development Research Center of the State Council (China)
20. Institute of Developing Economies, Japan External Trade Organization (IDE-JETRO) (Japan)
21. Japan Center for International Exchange (JCIE) (Japan)
22. Delhi Policy Group (India)
23. Institute of International Policy Studies (IIPS) (Japan)
24. Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies (IPCS) (India)
25. The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) (India)
26. Tokyo Foundation for Global Studies (Japan)
27. Development Alternatives (India)
28. Center for Study of Science Technology and Policy (India)
29. National Council of Applied Economic Research (India)
30. Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI) (Japan)
31. Korea Institute for Defense Analyses (KIDA) (Republic of Korea)
32. National Institute for Research Advancement (NIRA) (Japan)
33. Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (India)
34. Cathay Institute for Public Affairs (China)
35. Unirule Institute for Economics (China)
36. Japan Institute for International Development (Japan)
37. Institute for National Policy Research (INPR) (China)
38. Korean Energy Economics Institute (KEEI) (Republic of Korea)
39. Research Institute for Peace and Security (RIPS) (Japan)
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40. Institute of Economic Growth (India)
41. Korea Institute for National Unification (KINU) (Republic of Korea)
42. United Service Institution of India (India)
43. Liberty Institute (India)
44. Institute for International Policy Studies (Japan)
45. The Sejong Institute (Republic of Korea)

59
Top 50 Think Tank in Sub-Saharan Africa
Table #9

1. South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) (South Africa)
2. Institute for Security Studies (ISS) (South Africa)
3. Center for Development and Enterprise (South Africa)
4. African Center for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (ACCORD) (South Africa)
5. Africa Institute of South Africa (South Africa)
6. Centre for Conflict Resolution (South Africa)
7. African Economic Research Consortium (Kenya)
8. IMANI Center for Policy and Education (Ghana)
9. Council for Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA) (Senegal)
10. Botswana Institute for Development Policy Analysis (BIDPA) (Botswana)
11. Center for Policy Analysis (Ghana)
12. Institute for Democracy in South Africa (IDASA) (South Africa)
13. Centre for Democratic Development (Ghana)
14. Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis (KIPPRA) (Kenya)
15. Ethiopian Development Research Institute (EDRI) (Ethiopia)
16. Economic Policy Research Center (EPRC) (Uganda)
17. Ethiopian Economic Policy Research Institute (EEA/EEPRI) (Ethiopia)
18. Research on Poverty Alleviation (REPOA) (Tanzania)
19. Free Market Foundation (South Africa)
20. Institute for Global Dialogue (South Africa)
21. Institute for Economic Affairs (IEA) (Ghana)
22. Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources Policy Analysis Network (FANRPAN) (South Africa)
23. South African Institute of Race Relations (South Africa)
24. Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA) (Nigeria)
25. Advocates Coalition for Development and Environment (ACODE) (Uganda)
26. Organization for Social Sciences Research in Eastern Africa (OSSREA) (Ethiopia)
27. Institute of Economic Affairs (Kenya)
28. Centre Ivorien de Recherche Economique et Sociale (CIRES) (Cote d'Ivoire)
29. Centre for Population and Environmental Development (CPED) (Nigeria)
30. Centre for Research and Technology Development (RESTECH Centre) (Kenya)
31. African Technology Policy Studies Network (ATPS) (Kenya)
32. Initiative for Public Policy Analysis (IPPA) (Nigeria)
33. Rift Valley Institute (Kenya)
34. Centre for Development Studies (Ghana)
35. Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (Ghana)
36. Center for the Study of the Economies of Africa (CSEA) (Nigeria)
37. Makerere Institute of Social Research (MISR) (Uganda)
38. Institute for Public Policy Research (Namibia)
39. Namibian Economic Policy Research Unit (NEPRU) (Namibia)
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40. Institute for Empirical Research in Political Economy (IERPE) (Benin)
41. Justice and Human Rights Institute (Ghana)
42. Centre dEtudes, de Documentation et de Recherches Economique et Sociale (CEDRES) (Burkina
Faso)
43. Economic and Social Research Foundation (ESRF) (Tanzania)
44. Groupe de Recherche en Economie Applique et Theorique (GREAT) (Mali)
45. Inter-Region Economic Network (IREN) (Kenya)
46. Macro Economic and Financial Management Institute (MEFMI) (Zimbabwe)
47. Institute of Policy Analysis and Research (IPAR-Kenya) (Kenya)
48. Institute for Public Policy of Nigeria (Nigeria)
49. Programme de Troisieme Cycle Inter-universitaire en Economie (PTCI) (Burkina Faso)
50. Integrated Social Development Center (ISODEC) (Ghana)

61
Top 30 Think Tanks in Mexico and Canada
Table #10
1. Fraser Institute (Canada)
2. Consejo Mexicano de Asuntos Internacionales (COMEXI) (Mexico)
3. Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI) (Canada)
4. North-South Institute (Canada)
5. Centro de Investigacin y Docencia Econmica (CIDE) (Mexico)
6. Centro Anlisis e Investigacin (FUNDAR) (Mexico)
7. Canadian Defense and Foreign Affairs Institute (Canada)
8. C. D. Howe Institute (Canada)
9. Canadian International Council (Canada)
10. Institute for Research on Public Policy (Canada)
11. Macdonald-Laurier Institute (Canada)
12. Colegio de Mxico (Mexico)
13. Atlantic Institute for Market Studies (AIMS) (Canada)
14. Conference Board of Canada (Canada)
15. International Institute for Sustainable Development (Canada)
16. Montreal Economic Institute (Canada)
17. Centro de Investigacin para el Desarrollo (CIDAC) (Mexico)
18. Centro de Investigaciones Sobre la Libre Empresa (CISLE) (Mexico)
19. Public Policy Forum (Canada)
20. El Colegio de la Frontera Norte (Mexico)
21. Instituto Mexicano para la Competividad (IMCO) (Mexico)
22. Instituto para la Seguridad y la Democracia (Mexico)
23. Colectivo de Anlisis para la Seguridad con Democracia (CASEDE) (Mexico)
24. Frontier Centre for Public Policy (Mexico)
25. Queen's Centre for International Relations (QCIR) (Canada)
26. Centro de Estudios en Calidad de Vida y Desarrollo Social (Mexico)
27. Instituto de Pensamiento Estratgico Agora (IPEA) (Mexico)
28. Centro Espinosa Yglesias (Mexico)
29. Institute of Politics (Mexico)
30. Mxico Evala Centro de Anlisis de Poltica Pblica (Mexico)

62
Top 45 Think Tanks in South and Central America
Table #11
1. Fundao Getlio Vargas (FGV) (Brazil)
2. Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC/CEPAL) (Chile)
3. Centro de Estudios Pblicos (CEP) (Chile )
4. Centro de Divulgacin del Conocimineto Econmico para la Libertad (CEDICE Libertad)
(Venezuela)
5. Centro de Estudios de la Realidad Econmica y Social (CERES) (Uruguay)
6. Centro de Implementacin de Polticas Pbilcas para la Equidad y el Crecimiento (CIPPEC)
(Argentina)
7. Corporacin de Estudios para Latinoamrica (CIEPLAN) (Chile)
8. Centro Brasileiro de Relaes Internacionais (CEBRI) (Brazil)
9. Consejo Latinoamericano de Ciencias Sociales (CLASCO) (Argentina)
10. Instituto Fernando Henrique Carodoso (Brazil)
11. Instituto de Pesquisa Econmica Aplicada (IPEA) (Brazil)
12. Fundacin para el Avance de las Reformas y las Oportunidades (Group FARO) (Ecuador)
13. Consejo Argentino para las Relaciones Internacionales (CARI) (Argentina)
14. Centro Brasileiro de Analise e Planejamento (CEBRAP) (Brazil)
15. Fundacin de Investigaciones Econmicas Latinoamericanas (Argentina)
16. Centro Latinoamericano de Economa Humana (CLAEH) (Uruguay)
17. Consejo Uruguayo para las Relaciones Internacionales (CURI) (Uruguay)
18. Fundacin Ideas para la Paz (Colombia)
19. Fundacin para la Educacin Superior y el Desarrollo (Fedesarrollo) (Colombia)
20. Fundacin Chile XXI (21) (Chile)
21. Fundacin Pensar (Argentina)
22. Centro de Estudios de Estado y Sociedad (CEDES) (Argentina)
23. Instituto Libertad y Democracia (ILD) (Peru)
24. Nucleo de Estudios de la Violencia de la Universidad de So Paulo (NEV/USP) (Brazil)
25. Instituto de Estudios Peruanos (IPE) (Peru)
26. Libertad y Desarrollo (Chile)
27. Fundacin Salvadoreaa para el Desarrollo Econmico y Social (FUSADES) (El Salvador)
28. Instituto Ecuatoriano de Economa Poltica (IEEP) (Ecuador)
29. Foro Social de Deuda Externa y Desarrollo de Honduras (FOSDEH) (Honduras)
30. Fundacin Libertad (Argentina)
31. Instituto do Milenio (Brazil)
32. Fedesarrollo Centro de Pensamiento Primero Colombia (Colombia)
33. Grupo de Anlisis para el Desarrollo (GRADE) (Peru)
34. Fundacin Jaime Guzmn (Chile)
35. Instituto de Ciencias Polticas (Colombia)
36. Centro de Anlisis y Difusin del la Economa Paraguay (CADEP) (Paraguay)
37. Centro de Estudios Distributivos, Laborales y Sociales (CEDLAS) (Argentina)
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38. Fundacin Dr. Guillermo Manuel Ungo (FUNDAUNGO) (El Salvador)
39. Grupo Propuesta Ciudadana (Peru)
40. Instituto de Estudios Avanzados (Bolivia)
41. Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales (FLACSO) (Costa Rica)
42. Asociacin de Investigacin y Estudios Sociales (ASIES) (Guatemala)
43. Centro de Investigaciones Econmicas Nacionales (CIEN) (Guatemala)
44. Fudacin Milenio (Bolivia)
45. Instituto Desarrollo (Paraguay)

64
Top 40 Think Tanks in Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
Table #12
1. Carnegie Middle East Center (Lebanon )
2. Gulf Research Center (GRC) (Saudi Arabia)
3. Begin Sadat Center for Strategic Studies (Israel)
4. Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation (TESEV) (Turkey)
5. Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies (Egypt)
6. Al Jazeera Centre for Studies (Qatar)
7. Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) FNA Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies (Isael)
8. Brookings Doha Center (Qatar)
9. Center for Economics and Policy Studies (EDAM) (Turkey)
10. Center for Strategic Studies (Jordan)
11. RAND-Qatar Policy Institute (Qatar)
12. Egyptian Center for Economic Studies (Egypt)
13. International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT) (Israel)
14. Arab Thought Forum (Jordan)
15. Harry S. Truman Institute for Advancement of Peace (Israel)
16. Centre des Etudes et Recherches en Sciences Sociales (CERSS) (Morocco)
17. Association for Liberal Thinking (Turkey)
18. Amadeus Center (Morocco)
19. Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research (United Arab Emirates)
20. Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies (Israel)
21. Israel Center for Social and Economic Progress (ICSEP) (Israel)
22. Egyptian Center for Economic Studies (Egypt)
23. Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs (Egypt)
24. Center of Arab Women for Training and Research (Egypt)
25. Israel Democracy Institute (Israel)
26. Kuwait Center for Strategic Studies (Kuwait)
27. The Economic Policy & Research Center (EPRC) UAE
28. Center for Arab Unity Studies (CAUS) (Lebanon )
29. Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs (Israel)
30. Economic Research Forum (Egypt)
31. European Stability Initiative (Turkey)
32. Ibn Khaldoun Center for Development Studies (Egypt)
33. Dubai Institute of Government (United Arab Emirates)
34. Palestinian Academic Society for the Study of International Affairs (Palestinian Authority)
35. The Information and Decision Support Center (IDSC) (Egypt)
36. Van Leer Jerusalem Institute (Israel)
37. Israel Democracy Institute (Israel)
38. Institute for Future Studies (Egypt)
39. Institut Francais des Recherches sur l'Iran (Iran)
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40. Issam Fares Center for Public Policy and International Affairs (IFI) (Lebanon)

66
Top Think Tanks by Area of Research

Top 70 Security and International Affairs Think Tanks
Table #13
1. Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) (United States)
2. Chatham House (United Kingdom)
3. Brookings Institution (United States)
4. Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) (United States)
5. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (United States)
6. Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) (Sweden)
7. RAND Corporation (United States)
8. Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars (United States)
9. International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) (United Kingdom)
10. International Crisis Group (ICG) (Belgium)
11. Heritage Foundation (United States)
12. German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP) (Germany)
13. French Institute of International Relations (IFRI) (France)
14. China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations (CICIR) (China)
15. Hoover Institution (United States)
16. European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) (United Kingdom)
17. Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) (United Kingdom)
18. Institute for International and Strategic Relations (IRIS) (France)
19. Clingendael, Netherlands Institute of International Relations (The Netherlands)
20. Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs (United States)
21. Transparency International (TI) (Germany)
22. German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP) (Germany)
23. Council on Foreign and Defence Policy (SVOP) (Russia)
24. Center for a New American Security (CNAS) (United States)
25. East Asia Institute (Republic of Korea)
26. Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) (Norway)
27. American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research (AEI) (United States)
28. United States Institute of Peace (USIP) (United States)
29. Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) (Australia)
30. Egmont Institute, Royal Institute for International Relations (Belgium)
31. German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF) (United States)
32. Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI) (Italy)
33. Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO) (Russia)
34. Stimson Center (FNA Henry L. Stimson Center) (United States)
35. Institute of Strategic and International Studies (ISIS) (Malaysia)
36. Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) (Indonesia)
37. Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI) (Norway)
67
38. Polish Institute of International Affairs (PISM) (Poland)
39. Cato Institute (United States)
40. Real Instituto Elcano, Elcano Royal Institute (Spain)
41. European Centre for International Political Economy (ECIPE) (Belgium)
42. Centre for Eastern Studies (OSW) (Poland)
43. South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) (South Africa)
44. Singapore Institute of International Affairs (SIIA) (Singapore)
45. Institute for Defense and Strategic Studies (IDSS) (Singapore)
46. Institute for Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS) (Singapore)
47. Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP) (Greece)
48. Human Rights Watch (United States)
49. Brazilian Center for International Relations (CEBRI) (Brazil)
50. Institute for National Security Studies (FNA) Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies (Israel)
51. Strategic Studies Institute (South Africa)
52. Gulf Research Center (GRC) (Saudi Arabia)
53. Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security (Republic of Korea)
54. Center for American Progress (United States)
55. Center for Strategic Studies (Jordan)
56. Hudson Institute (United States)
57. Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments (CSBA) (United States)
58. Shanghai Institute for International Studies (SIIS) (China )
59. Regional Center for Strategic Studies (RCSS) (Sri Lanka)
60. Kofi Annan International Peace and Training Center (Ghana)
61. Center for Security and Defense Studies (Hungary)
62. Institute for United States and Canada Studies (IMEMO, RAS) (Russia)
63. Prague Security Studies Institute (PSSI) (Czech Republic)
64. Belgrade Center for Security Policy (FNA Center for Civil-Military Relations) (Serbia)
65. Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies (India)
66. Institute for International Relations (IIR) (Czech Republic)
67. Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies (Egypt)
68. Security and Defense Agenda (Belgium)
69. Stimson Center (FNA Henry L. Stimson Center) (United States)
70. Swedish Institute of International Affairs (UI) (Sweden)

68
Top 80 International Development Think Tanks
Table #14
1. Brookings Institution (United States)
2. Overseas Development Institute (ODI) (United Kingdom)
3. Center for Global Development (CGD) (United States)
4. Center for International Development (CID) (United States)
5. Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars (United States)
6. United Nations University World Institute for Development Economics Research (UNU-WIDER)
(Finland)
7. Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) (United States)
8. Chatham House (United Kingdom)
9. Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) (United States)
10. German Development Institute (DIE) (Germany)
11. International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) (United States)
12. North-South Institute (Canada)
13. Institute of Development Studies (IDS) (United Kingdom))
14. Fundao Getlio Vargas (FGV) (Brazil)
15. Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS) (Denmark)
16. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (United States)
17. Asian Development Bank Institute (Japan)
18. Cato Institute Center for Global Liberty and Prosperity (United States)
19. Korea Development Institute (KDI) (Republic of Korea)
20. RAND Corporation (United States)
21. Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) (China)
22. Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS) (Germany)
23. Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI) (Norway)
24. Friedrich Ebert Foundation (FES) (Germany)
25. Atlas Economic Research Foundation (United States)
26. South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) (South Africa)
27. African Economic Research Consortium (Kenya)
28. Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS) (Bangladesh)
29. Hudson Institute Center for Global Prosperity (United States)
30. Fundacion para la Relaciones Internacionales y el Dialogo Exterior (FRIDE) (Spain)
31. Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations (IDDRI) (France)
32. International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) (Canada)
33. Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) (Sweden)
34. Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA) (Senegal)
35. Club of Rome (Switzerland)
36. Center for Social and Economic Research (CASE) (Poland)
37. Fundacion para el Analisis y los Estudios Sociales (FAES) (Spain)
38. American Enterprise Institute (AEI) (United States)
69
39. Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI) (Canada)
40. Libertad y Desarrollo (Chile)
41. Centre for the Study of African Economies (United Kingdom)
42. Centro Brasileiro de Relaes Internacionais (CEBRI) (Brazil)
43. Centre for Development Alternatives (India)
44. Center for Economic and Social Development (CESD) (Azerbaijan)
45. African Technology Policy Network (ATPS) (Kenya)
46. Centre for Development and the Environment (Norway)
47. Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER) (India)
48. Centro de Divulgacion del Conocimiento Economico (CEDICE Libertad) (Venezuela)
49. Fundacion Carolina (Spain)
50. Instituto Libertad y Democracia (Peru)
51. Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales (FLACSO) (Costa Rica)
52. Japan International Cooperation Agency Research Institute (JICA) (Japan)
53. African Institute for Economic Development and Planning (Senegal)
54. Consejo Argentino para las Relaciones Internacionales (CARI) (Argentina)
55. Grupo de Analisis para el Desarrollo (GRADE) (Peru)
56. Institute of World Economy and International Relations (IMEMO, RAS) (Russia)
57. Water and Development Research Group, Helsinki University of Technology (Finland)
58. International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) (United Kingdom)
59. Institute of Developing Economies (IDE-JETRO) (Japan)
60. Nordic Africa Institute (Sweden)
61. Institute for Global Dialogue (South Africa)
62. Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIA) (Japan)
63. Center for the Implementation of Public Policies Promoting Equity and Growth (Argentina)
s.4Argentina) (((((Argentina)
64. Chr. Michelsen Institute (Norway)
65. Institute for Policy Studies (United States)
66. International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) (Switzerland)
67. Singapore Institute of International Affairs (SIIA) (Singapore)
68. Asociacion Latinoamericana de Organizaciones de Promocion al Desarrollo (ALOP) (Mexico)
69. Third World Network (TWN) (Malaysia)
70. Development Alternatives (Costa Rica)
71. Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) (Philippines)
72. Institute for Democracy in South Africa (IDASA) (South Africa)
73. Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA) (Netherlands)
74. Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) (Bangladesh)
75. Lowy Institute (Australia)
76. European Center for Development Policy Management (ECDPM) (Netherlands)
77. James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy (United States)
78. Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI) (Thailand)
79. Global Industrial and Social Progress Research Institute (GISPRI) (Japan)
80. Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (Pakistan)
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Top 70 Environment Think Tanks
Table #15
1. World Resources Institute (United States)
2. Brookings Institution (United States)
3. Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES) (United States)
4. Worldwatch Institute (United States)
5. Earthwatch Institute (United States)
6. Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) (Sweden)
7. Resources for the Future (RFF) (United States)
8. Earth Institute (United States)
9. Chatham House (United Kingdom)
10. Ecologic Institute (Germany)
11. United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) (Kenya)
12. Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) (Germany)
13. International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) (Canada)
14. Center for Environmental Research (UFZ) (Germany)
15. Center for European Policy Studies (CEPS) (Belgium)
16. E3G Third Generation Environmentalism (United Kingdom)
17. Center for Economic and Ecological Studies (Cen2eco) (Switzerland)
18. International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) (United Kingdom)
19. Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology (ATREE) (India)
20. Center for Science and Environment (CSE) (India)
21. The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) (India)
22. Forum for the Future (United Kingdom)
23. Centro Brasileiro de Relaes Internacionais (Brazil)
24. Centro Mexicano de Derecho Ambiental (Mexico)
25. African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) (Kenya)
26. RAND Corporation (United States)
27. Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) (United States)
28. Center for International Forestry Research (Indonesia)
29. Copenhagen Consensus Center (CCC) (Denmark)
30. Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences (China)
31. Australia Institute (TAI) (Australia)
32. Centre for Population and Environmental Development (CPED) (Nigeria)
33. Chinese Academy For Environmental Planning (CAEP) (China)
34. Institute for European Environmental Policy (IEEP) (United Kingdom)
35. Center for Sustainable Development and Environment (Iran)
36. The Property and Environment Research Center (PERC) (United States)
37. Competitive Enterprise Institute (United States)
38. Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei (FEEM) (Italy)
39. Research Institute of Innovative Technology for the Earth (RITE) (Japan)
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40. New Zealand Climate Change Institute (New Zealand)
41. Wuppertal Institute (Germany)
42. Development Alternatives (India)
43. International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) (Austria)
44. Civic Exchange Honk Kong (China)
45. Institute for Sustainable Development (ISD) (Poland)
46. African Centre for Technology Studies (ACTS) (Kenya)
47. Center for Development and Environment (SUM) (Norway)
48. Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) (Japan)
49. Oeko-Institut (Germany)
50. Center for Applied Research (CAR) (Botswana)
51. Program on Energy and Sustainable Development (United States)
52. Departamento Ecologa Territorio, Facultad de Estudios Ambientales y Rurales (FEAR)
(Colombia)
53. The Arava Institute for Environmental Studies (Israel)
54. Integrated Research and Action for Development (IRADe) (India)
55. Environment for Development Program (EfD) (Sweden)
56. Heschel Center for Environmental Learning and Leadership (Israel)
57. Thailand Environment Institute (TEI) (Thailand)
58. Global Development Research Center (GDRC) (Japan)
59. Pembina Institute (Canada)
60. International Center for Climate Governance (ICCG) (Italy)
61. Netherlands Society for Nature and Environment / Stichting Natuur en Milieu (The Netherlands)
62. Environmental Management and Law Association (EMLA) (Hungary)
63. Instituto de Estudios Avanzados en Desarrollo (INESAD), Institute for Advanced Development
Studies (Bolivia)
64. MS Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) (India)
65. Sustainable Development Policy Institute (Pakistan)
66. Environment and Natural Resources Foundation (FARN) (Argentina)
67. National Association for the Conservation of Nature (ANCON) (Panama)
68. Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) (Pakistan)
69. Transnational Institute (TNI) (Netherlands)
70. The International Center for Climate Governance (ICCG) (Italy)

72
Top 30 Health Policy Think Tanks
Table #16
1. Bloomberg School of Public Health Research Centers (JHSPH) (United States)
2. Cambridge Centre for Health Services Research (United Kingdom)
3. Brookings Institution (United States)
4. RAND Corporation (United States)
5. Fraser Institute (Canada)
6. American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research (AEI) (United States)
7. Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) (United States)
8. Council on Foreign Relations Global Health Program (United States)
9. Kaiser Permanente Institute for Health Policy (KPIHP) (United States)
10. Center for Studying Health Systems Change (HSC) (United States)
11. FUNSALUD Centre for Health Policy (Mexico)
12. Civitas (United Kingdom)
13. Department of Health Policy and Management (United States)
14. National Bureau for Economic Research (NBER) (United States)
15. Urban Institute (United States)
16. Cato Institute (United States)
17. Center for American Progress (CAP) (United States)
18. Peterson Institute for International Economics (United States)
19. Health and Global Policy Institute (HGPI) (Japan)
20. Phillips Center for Health and Well-Being (The Netherlands)
21. Organization for Social Science Research in Eastern and Southern Africa (OSSREA) (Ethiopia)
22. Center for Health System Research (Vietnam)
23. Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies (WIIW) (Austria)
24. Notre Europe (France)
25. Centre d'Etudes et de Recherches en Sciences sociales (CERSS) (Morocco)
26. Institute for Government (IfG) (United Kingdom)
27. Institute of Economic Growth (IEG) (India)
28. African Technology Policy Studies Network (ATPS) ((Kenya))
29. Independent Institute of Social Policy (IISP) (Russia)
30. Institute of Policy Studies (Sri Lanka)

73

Top 80 Domestic Economic Policy Think Tanks
Table #17
1. Brookings Institution (United States)
2. Cato Institute (United States)
3. American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research (AEI) (United States)
4. National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) (United States)
5. Peterson Institute for International Economics (United States)
6. Bruegel (Belgium)
7. Adam Smith Institute (United Kingdom)
8. Heritage Foundation (United States)
9. RAND Corporation (United States)
10. Center for American Progress (CAP) (United States)
11. Chinese Academy of Social Science (CASS), Institute of World Economics and Politics (China)
12. Hoover Instiution (United States)
13. Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS) (Belgium)
14. German Institute for Economic Research (DIW) (Germany)
15. Ifo Institute for Economic Research (Germany)
16. Center for Social and Economic Research (CASE) (Poland
17. Kiel Institute for the World Economy (Germany)
18. Center for Economic Policy Research (CEPR) (United Kingdom)
19. Korea Development Institute (KDI) (Republic of Korea)
20. Centro de Implementacin de Polticas Pblicas para la Equidad y el Crecimiento (CIPPEC)
(Argentina)
21. Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) (United States)
22. Fundao Getulio Vargas (FGV) (Brazil)
23. Libertad y Desarrollo (Chile )
24. Council on Foreign Relations (United States)
25. Vienna International Institute for Comparative Economic Studies (WIIW) (Austria)
26. Urban Institute (United States)
27. C.D. Howe Institute (Canada)
28. Center for Economic and Financial Research (CEFIR) (Russia)
29. Fundacao Armando Alvares Penteado (FAAP) (Brazil)
30. Center for Economic and Policy Research (United States)
31. Association for Liberal Thinking (ALT) (Turkey)
32. Austrian Institute for Economic Research (WIFO) (Austria)
33. Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) (United Kingdom)
34. Chatham House (United Kingdom)
35. Hong Kong Centre for Economic Research (HKCER) (China)
36. Centro de Estudios de la Realidad Economica y Social (CERES) (Uruguay)
37. Centro de Estudios Publicos (CEP) (Chile)
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38. Demos Europa (Poland)
39. Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis (CPB) (Netherlands)
40. Cathay Institute for Public Affairs (CIPA) (China)
41. Korea Institute of International Economic Policies (KIEP) (Republic of Korea)
42. Manhattan Institute for Policy Research (United States)
43. Unirule Institute of Economics (China)
44. Fundacion para el Analisis y los Estudios Sociales (FAES) (Spain)
45. Center for European Economic Research (Germany)
46. Centro de Investigacion y Docencia Economicas, (CIDE) (Mexico)
47. Centro Brasileiro de Relacaoes Internacionais (Brazil)
48. Center for Fiscal Policy (Russia)
49. Economics Institute (Serbia)
50. Fraser Institute (Canada)
51. Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) (Ireland)
52. Economic Policy Institute (EPI) (United States)
53. Grattan Institute (Australia)
54. Singapore Institute of International Affairs (SIIA) (Singapore)
55. Kenya Institute of Public Policy Research & Analyses (Kenya)
56. Fundacin para la Educacin Superior y el Desarrollo (Fedesarrollo) (Colombia)
57. Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO) (Russia)
58. IMANI Center for Policy and Education (Ghana)
59. Research Institute for the Finnish Economy (ETLA) (Finland)
60. National Institute of Economic and Social Research (United Kingdom)
61. Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (Japan)
62. Sejong Institute (Repbulic of Korea)
63. Swedish Institute for Social Research (SOFI) (Sweden)
64. National Center for Public Policy Research (NCPPR) (United States)
65. Economic Expert Group (Russia)
66. Economic Policy Research Center (Uganda)
67. Center for Liberal-Democratic Studies (CLDS) (Serbia)
68. Central Institute for Economic Management (CIEM) (Vietnam)
69. Economic Institute (CERGE-EI) (Czech Republic)
70. Fundacion de Estudios de Economia Aplicada (FEDEA) (Spain)
71. TARKI Social Research Institute (Hungary)
72. Jerome Levy Economics Institute (United States)
73. Institute of Economics (EIZ) (Croatia)
74. Egyptian Center for Economic Studies (ECES) (Egypt)
75. Development Research Center of the State Council (China)
76. Institute for Advanced Studies (HIS) (Austria)
77. Institute for Economic Research (IER) (Slovenia)
78. Center for Economic and Social Development (CESD) (Azerbaijan)
79. African Technology Policy Studies (ATPS) (Kenya)
75
80. Lithuanian Free Market Institute (Lithuania)

76
Top 50 International Economic Policy Think Tanks
Table # 18
1. Bruegel (Belgium)
2. Brookings Institution (United States)
3. Peterson Institute for International Economics (United States)
4. Kiel Institute for the World Economy (Germany)
5. Chatham House (United Kingdom)
6. American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research (AEI) (United States)
7. Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) (United States)
8. National Bureau for Economic Research (NBER) (United States)
9. RAND Corporation (United States)
10. Adam Smith Institute (United Kingdom)
11. Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) (United States)
12. Berkeley Roundtable on the International Economy (BRIE) (United States)
13. Institute of World Economy and International Relations (IMEMO, RAS) (Russia)
14. Heritage Foundation (United States)
15. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (United States)
16. Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS) (Belgium )
17. Cato Institute (United States)
18. European Center for International Political Economy (ECIPE) (Belgium)
19. Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies (Austria)
20. Korea Institute of International Economic Policies (KIEP) (Republic of Korea)
21. Institute of Developing Economies (IDE-JETRO) (Japan)
22. Fraser Institute (Canada)
23. Center for Global Development (CGD) (United States)
24. Centre dEtudes Prospectives et d'Informations Internationales (CEPII) (France)
25. Australian Institute of International Affairs (AIIA) (Australia)
26. Israel Center for Social and Economic Progress (Israel)
27. Institute of World Economics and Politics (IWEP, CASS) (China )
28. Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA) (Indonesia)
29. Center for Independent Studies (Australia)
30. Center for Social and Economic Analysis (CASE) (Poland)
31. Centro Brasileiro de Relaes Internacionais (Brazil)
32. Institute for Policy Studies (IPS) (United States)
33. Ifo Institute for Economic Research (Germany)
34. Centre for Economics and Foreign Policy Studies (EDAM) (Turkey)
35. Organization for Social Science Research in Eastern and Southern Africa (Ethiopia)
36. African Economic Research Consortium (Kenya)
37. Razumkov Center (Ukraine)
38. Consejo Argentino para las Relaciones Internacionales (CARI) (Argentina)
39. India Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER) (India)
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40. Baltic Development Forum (BDF) (Denmark)
41. Centro de Estudio de Realidad Economica y Social (CERES) (Uruguay)
42. Policy Studies Institute (PSI) (United Kingdom)
43. Institute for World Economics (IWE) (Hungary)
44. Institute for International Trade Negotiations (ICONE) (Brazil)
45. Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO) (Russia)
46. Institute of Economic Growth (IEG) (India)
47. Fundacao Armando Alvares Penteado (Brazil)
48. Finnish Business and Policy Forum (EVA) (Finland)
49. Center for Economic and Social Development (CESD) (Azerbaijan)
50. International Economic Studies (Sweden)

78
Top 50 Social Policy Think Tanks
Table #19
1. Brookings Institution (United States)
2. RAND Corporation (United States)
3. American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research (AEI) (United States)
4. Urban Institute (United States)
5. Amnesty International (United Kingdom)
6. Heritage Foundation (United States)
7. Cato Institute (United States)
8. Fraser Institute (Canada)
9. Center for Social and Economic Research (CASE) (Poland)
10. Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies (MPIfG) (Germany)
11. Center for American Progress (CAP) (United States)
12. Fundao Getulio Vargas (FGV) (Brazil)
13. Acton Institute (United States)
14. Centro de Implementacin de Polticas Pblicas para la Equidad y el Crecimiento (CIPPEC)
(Argentina)
15. Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) (United States)
16. Civitas (United Kingdom)
17. Demos (United Kingdom)
18. Swedish Institute for Social Research (SOFI) (Sweden)
19. Bruegel (Belgium)
20. Korea Development Institute (KDI) (Republic of Korea)
21. Israel Center for Social and Economic Progress (ICESP) (Israel)
22. Russell Sage Foundation (United States)
23. Manhattan Institute for Policy Research (United States)
24. Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) (United Kingdom)
25. Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) (United Kingdom)
26. Centro de Estudios Distributivos, Laborales y Sociales (CEDLAS) (Argentina)
27. Grupo de Anlisis para el Desarrollo (GRADE) (Peru)
28. Independent Institute for Social Policy (IISP) (Russia)
29. Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) (United Kingdom)
30. New America Foundation (United States)
31. Caledon Institute of Social Policy (Canada)
32. Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources Policy Analysis Network (FANRPAN) (South Africa)
33. Centre for Liberal Strategies (Bulgaria)
34. Organization for Social Science Research in Southern and Eastern Africa (OSSREA) (Ethiopia)
35. Institute of Sociology at the Russian Academy of Sciences (Russia)
36. Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC) (Bangladesh )
37. Mathematica Policy Research, Inc. (United States)
38. Policy Studies Institute (United Kingdom)
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39. Institute for Research on Public Policy (IRPP) (Canada)
40. Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) (Philippines)
41. Centre for Policy Research (India)
42. Center for Education Policy Reform (South Africa)
43. Centro de Referencia em Seguranca Alimentar e Nutricional (Brazil)
44. Institute of Southest Asian Studies (ISEAS) (Singapore)
45. Institute for Urban Economics (IUE) (Russia)
46. Grattan Institute (Australia)
47. TARKI Social Research Institute (Hungary)
48. Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies (JCEPS) (United States)
49. Batory Foundation (Poland)
50. Institute for Government (IFG) (United Kingdom)

80
Top 50 Science and Technology Think Tanks
Table #20
1. MIT Science, Technology, and Society Program (STS) (United States)
2. Max Planck Institute (Germany)
3. RAND Corporation (United States)
4. Center for Development Research (ZEF) (Germany )
5. Information and Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) (United States)
6. Battelle Memorial Institute (United States)
7. Technology, Entertainment, Design (TED) (United States)
8. Institute for Future Technology (IFTECH) (Japan)
9. Consortium for Science, Policy, and Outcomes (CSPO) (United States)
10. Information and Communication Technologies for Development (ICT4D) (United Kingdom)
11. Science and Technology Policy Research (SPRU) (United Kingdom)
12. Institute for Basic Research (IBR) (United States)
13. Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) (South Africa)
14. African Technology Policy Studies Network (ATPS) (Kenya)
15. Bertelsmann Foundation (Germany)
16. International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) (Austria)
17. Energy and Resources Institute (India)
18. The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) (India)
19. Santa Fe Institute (SFI) (United States)
20. African Center for Technology Studies (ACTS) (Kenya)
21. Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS) (United States)
22. Fondation Telecom, (France)
23. Edge Foundation (United States)
24. Eudoxa (Sweden)
25. Fundacin de la Innovacin Bankinter (Spain)
26. Researdh ICT Africa (RIA) (South Africa)
27. Samuel Neaman Institute for Advanced Studies in Science and Technology (Isreal)
28. Telecom Center of Excellence (TCOE) (India)
29. Keck Institute for Space Studies (KISS) (United States)
30. Urban Institute (United States)
31. Kansai Institute of Informational Systems and Industrial Renovation (KIIS) (Japan)
32. Technology Policy Institute (TPI) (United States)
33. Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) (Sweden)
34. Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI) (Republic of Korea)
35. National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) (United States)
36. National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) (Japan)
37. World Security Institute (WSI) (United States)
38. Unirule Institute of Economics (China)
39. Lisbon Council for Economic Competitiveness (Belgium)
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40. Lowy Institute (Australia)
41. Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIA) (Japan)
42. North South Institute (Canada)
43. Peterson Institute for International Economics (United States)
44. Institute for the Encouragement of Scientific Research and Innovation of Brussels (ISRIB)
(Belgium)
45. Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO), (Russia)
46. Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation (TSEV) (Turkey)
47. Evidence-Informed Policy Network (EVIPNet) World Health Organization (Switzerland)
48. Singapore Institute of International Affairs (SIIA) (Singapore)
49. Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology (COSTECH) (Tanzania)
50. New America Foundation (United States)

82
Top 30 Transparency and Good Governance Think Tanks
Table #21
1. Transparency International (TI) (Germany)
2. Amnesty International (United Kingdom)
3. Freedom House (United States)
4. Human Rights Watch (United Kingdom)
5. Open Society Institute (OSI) (United States)
6. Mo Ibrahim Foundation (United Kingdom)
7. Oxford Council on Good Governance (OCGG) (United Kingdom)
8. Brookings Institution (United States)
9. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (United States)
10. International Crisis Group (ICG) (Belgium )
11. National Endowment for Democracy (NED) (United States)
12. Center for Public Integrity (United States)
13. Heritage Foundation (United States)
14. Geneva Center for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF) (Switzerland)
15. Centro Brasileiro de Relaes Internacionais (Brazil)
16. Revenue Watch Institute (RWI) (United States)
17. Global Integrity (United States)
18. Institute for Democracy in South Africa (IDASA) (South Africa)
19. Centro de Anlisis e Investigacin (FUNDAR) (Mexico)
20. International Budget Partnership (IBP) (United States)
21. Development Alternatives (India)
22. Grupo FARO, Foundation for the Advance of Reforms and Opportunities (Ecuador)
23. Taxpayers Alliance (United Kingdom)
24. Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) (Indonesia)
25. Singapore Institute of International Affairs (SIIA) (Singapore)
26. The QoG Institute (Sweden)
27. Center for Public Policy Studies (Malaysia)
28. Fundacin Jubileo (Bolivia)
29. International Center for Human Development (ICHD) (Armenia)
30. PATTIRO (Indonesia)

83
Top 20 Energy and Resource Policy Think Tanks
Table #22

1. World Resource Institute (United States)
2. Oxford Institute for Energy Studies (OIES) (United Kingdom)
3. RAND Corporation (United States)
4. American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research (AEI) (United States)
5. Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research (CEEPR) (United States)
6. James A Baker III Institute for Public Policy (United States)
7. TERI: The Energy and Resources Institute (India)
8. Center for Science of Environment, Resources, and Energy (Japan)
9. Center on Resource, Agricultural, Transport and Energy Economics (Canada)
10. Centre for Energy Policy and Economics (CEPE) (Switzerland)
11. Energy Studies Institute (Singapore)
12. Korea Energy Economics Institute (KEEI) (Republic of Korea)
13. Center for Resources and the Environment (United States)
14. Institute of Energy Economics (Japan)
15. European Centre for Energy and Resource Security (EUCERS) (United Kingdom)
16. Centre for European Policy Studies (Belgium)
17. Center on Environment, Energy and Resource Policy (CEERP) (China)
18. Davis Energy Institute (United States)
19. Centre for Energy Environment Resources Development (CEERD) (Thailand)
20. Centre for Population and Environmental Development (CPED) (Nigeria)

84
Top Education Policy Think Tanks (Unranked and in Alphabetical order)
Table #23
Brookings Institution (United States)
Brown Center on Education Policy (United States)
Cato Institute (United States)
Center for American Progress (United States)
Center for Democratic Education (Albania)
Center for Education Policy (Lithuania)
Center for Education Policy (Slovakia)
Center for Education Policy (CEP) (Serbia)
Center for Education Policy Research (United States)
Center for Educational Policy (Ukraine)
Center for Educational Policy Analysis (Hungary)
Center for Educational Policy Studies (Russia)
Center for Educational Policy Studies (CEPS) (Slovenia)
Center for Educational Research and Development (Croatia)
Center for Innovations in Education (CIE) (Azerbaijan)
Center for Public Policy (TzOT) (Kyrgyzstan)
Center for Social and Economic Analyses (Czech Republic)
Consortium for Policy Research in Education (United States)
Education and Training Unit (Armenia)
Education Initiatives Support Foundation (Kyrgyzstan)
Education Reform Initiative (Turkey)
Educational Reform Circles (Serbia)
Educational Reform Support Unit "Pulse" (Tajikistan)
Educational Studies Center (Ukraine)
Educaton Policy Data Center (United States)
Forum za Slobodu Odgoja (Croatia)
Information Research Center for Civic Education (Kazakhstan)
Institut za Dru!tenva Istra"ivanja u Zagreba (IDIZ) (Croatia)
Institute for Education Policy and Practice (United States)
Institute for Public Policy (Moldova)
Institute of Education (United Kingdom)
Institute of Public Affairs (Education Policy Program) (Poland)
International Center for Policy Studies (Ukraine)
International Institute for Education Policy, Planning and Management (EPPM) (Georgia)
Istanbul Policy Center at Sabanci University (IPC) (Turkey)
Kosovo Education Center (KEC) (Kosovo)
Macedonian Civic Education Center (MCEC) (Macedonia)
Mongolian Education Alliance (MEA) (Mongolia)
National Institute for Educational Policy Research (Japan)
85
Orava Association (Slovakia)
Oversea Development Institute (United Kingdom)
PRAXIS Center for Policy Studies (Estonia)
ProMente Social Research (Boznia and Herzegovina)
PROVIDUS Center for Public Policy (Latvia)
Qendra Shqiptare e Asistences Arsimore (Albania)
RAND Corporation (United States)
Slovak Governance Institute (SGI) (Slovakia)
Socires (Netherlands)
SRI Education Policy Center (United States)
The Moscow School of Social and Economic Sciences (MSSES) (Russia)
Urban Institute (United States)

86
Top Think Tanks by Special Achievements

Think Tanks with the Most Innovative Policy Ideas/Proposals
Table #24
1. Brookings Institution (United States)
2. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (United States)
3. Peterson Institute for International Economics (United States)
4. Cato Institute (United States)
5. International Crisis Group (ICG) (Belgium)
6. Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) (United States)
7. Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) (United States)
8. New America Foundation (United States)
9. European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) (United Kingdom)
10. American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research (AEI) (United States)
11. Center for Social and Economic Research (CASE) (Poland)
12. Fundar, Centro de Anlisis e Investigacin (Mexico)
13. Fraser Institute (Canada)
14. Center for European Studies (CES) (Belgium)
15. Israel-Palestine Center for Research and Information (IPCRI) (Israel / Palestine)
16. German Development Institute (DIE) (Germany)
17. Development Alternatives Group (India)
18. Heritage Foundation (United States)
19. Center for American Progress (CAP) (United States)
20. Zero Emissions Research and Initiatives (ZERI) (Japan)
21. Centre for Policy Studies (CPS) (United Kingdom)
22. French Institute of International Relations (IFRI) (France)
23. Friedrich Ebert Foundation (FES) (Germany)
24. Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS) (Germany)
25. IMANI Center for Policy and Education (Ghana)
26. Centro Brasileiro de Relaes Internacionais (CEBRI) (Brazil)
27. Heinrich Boll Foundation (HBS) (Germany)
28. Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales (FLACSO) (Costa Rica)
29. African Technology Policy Studies Network (ATPS) (Kenya)
30. Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom (Germany)

87
Best New Think Tanks
Table #25
1. Google Ideas (United States)
2. Economic Strategies for the 21st Century (e21) (United States)
3. Macdonald-Laurier Institute (MLI) (Canada)
4. Econwatch Society of Political Analysis (Germany)
5. Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS) (Malaysia)
6. Arab Thought Forum (ATF) (Jordan)
7. Casablanca Institute (Morocco)
8. Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi Foundation for Policy Research (United Arab Emirates)
9. Centre Africain des Etudes Asiatiques (CAEA) (Morocco)
10. Audace Institut Afrique (AIA) (Ivory Coast)

88
Think Tanks with Outstanding Policy-Oriented Research Programs
Table #26
1. Brookings Institution (United States)
2. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (United States)
3. RAND Corporation (United States)
4. Bruegel (Belgium)
5. Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) (United States)
6. Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) (United States)
7. Amnesty International (United Kingdom)
8. Chatham House (United Kingdom)
9. American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research (AEI) (United States)
10. Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS) (Belgium)
11. Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars (United States)
12. Heritage Foundation (United States)
13. Cato Institute (United States)
14. Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) (Sweden)
15. International Crisis Group (ICG) (Belgium)
16. Center for Global Development (CGD) (United States)
17. Adam Smith Institute (ASI) (United Kingdom)
18. Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) (China)
19. International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) (United Kingdom)
20. Human Rights Watch (United Kingdom)
21. Center for American Progress (CAP) (United States)
22. Fundao Getlio Vargas (FGV) (Brazil)
23. Transparency International (TI) (Germany)
24. National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) (United States)
25. World Resources Institute (WRI) (United States)
26. German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP) (Germany)
27. French Institute of International Relations (IFRI) (France)
28. Hoover Institution (United States)
29. Urban Institute (United States)
30. Korea Development Institute (KDI) (Republic of Korea)
31. Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS) (Germany)
32. Centro Brasileiro de Relaes Internacionais (CEBRI) (Brazil)
33. German Development Institute (DIE) (Germany)
34. Lowy Institute for International Policy (Australia)
35. Libertad y Desarrollo (LyD) (Chile)
36. Centre for Policy Studies (CPS) (United Kingdom)
37. Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) (United Kingdom)
38. Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIA) (Japan)
39. Fundar, Centro de Anlisis e Investigacin (Mexico)
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40. Institute for Security Studies (ISS) (South Africa)
41. Brazilian Center for Analysis and Planning (CEBRAP) (Brazil)
42. Institute of World Economy and International Relations (IMEMO, RAS) (Russia)
43. Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis (KIPPRA) (Kenya)
44. Washington Institute for Near East Policy (United States)
45. Economic Policy Research Center (EPRC) (Uganda)
46. Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales (FLACSO) (Costa Rica)
47. North-South Institute (NSI) (Canada)
48. Centre for Public Policy Studies (CPPS) (Malaysia)
49. East Asia Institute (EAI) (Republic of Korea)
50. South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) (South Africa)
51. Institute for International Policy Studies (IIPS) (Japan)
52. Singapore Institute of International Affairs (SIIA) (Singapore)
53. Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS) (India)
54. German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP) (Germany)
55. Carnegie Moscow Center (Russia)
56. Institute for Research on Public Policy (IRPP) (Canada)
57. Development Alternatives Group (India)
58. Unirule Institute of Economics (China)
59. Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) (Singapore)
60. Taub Center for Social Policy Studies (Israel)

90
Think Tanks with the Best Use of the Internet or Social Media
Table # 27
1. Heritage Foundation (United States)
2. Center for American Progress (CAP) (United States)
3. Brookings Institution (United States)
4. Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) (United States)
5. Amnesty International (United Kingdom)
6. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (United States)
7. Pew Research Center (United States)
8. Human Rights Watch (United Kingdom)
9. Cato Institute (United States)
10. International Crisis Group (ICG) (Belgium)
11. Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) (United States)
12. Transparency International (TI) (Germany)
13. Chatham House (United Kingdom)
14. RAND Corporation (United States)
15. European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) (United Kingdom)
16. Atlas Economic Research Institute (United States)
17. Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars (United States)
18. Center for a New American Security (CNAS) (United States)
19. Technology, Entertainment, Design (TED) (United States)
20. Fraser Institute (Canada)
21. American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research (AEI) (United States)
22. Overseas Development Institute (ODI) (United Kingdom)
23. International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) (United Kingdom)
24. Centre for European Studies (CES) (Belgium)
25. New America Foundation (United States)
26. Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS) (Germany)
27. Center for Global Development (CGD) (United States)
28. Centro Brasileiro de Relaes Internacionais (CEBRI) (Brazil)
29. Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIA) (Japan)
30. Lowy Institute for International Policy (Australia)
31. Fundao Getlio Vargas (FGV) (Brazil)
32. Singapore Institute for International Affairs (SIIA) (Singapore)
33. Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales (FLACSO) (Costa Rica)
34. African Technology Policy Studies Network (ATPS) (Kenya)
35. Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA) (Senegal)
36. Centro de Divulgacin del Conocimiento Econmico para la Libertad (CEDICE Libertad)
(Venezuela)
37. Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) (United Kingdom)
38. Organization for Social Science Research in Eastern and Southern Africa (OSSREA) (Ethiopia)
39. ResPublica (United Kingdom)
91
40. Tahrir Data Project (Egypt)

92
Think Tanks with the Best Use of Media (Print or Electronic)
Table #28
1. Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) (United States)
2. Brookings Institution (United States)
3. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (United States)
4. Amnesty International (United Kingdom)
5. Human Rights Watch (United States)
6. Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) (United States)
7. Pew Research Center (United States)
8. RAND Corporation (United States)
9. Chatham House (United Kingdom)
10. Heritage Foundation (United States)
11. Cato Institute (United States)
12. Transparency International (TI) (Germany)
13. Peterson Institute for International Economics (United States)
14. German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF) (United States)
15. American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research (AEI) (United States)
16. Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars (United States)
17. European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) (United Kingdom)
18. International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) (United Kingdom)
19. International Crisis Group (ICG) (Belgium)
20. Open Society Institute (OSI) (United States)
21. Center for a New American Security (CNAS) (United States)
22. Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS) (Belgium)
23. Korea Development Institute (KDI) (Republic of Korea)
24. Lowy Institute for International Policy (Australia)
25. Libertad y Desarrollo (LyD) (Chile)
26. Center for American Progress (CAP) (United States)
27. Council on Foreign and Defence Policy (SVOP) (Russia)
28. Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies (IDSS) (Singapore)
29. Institute for Defense Studies and Analyses (IDSA) (India )
30. Institute of Contemporary Development (INSOR) (Russia)
31. Singapore Institute of International Affairs (SIIA) (Singapore)
32. South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) (South Africa)
33. Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales (FLACSO) (Costa Rica)
34. African Technology Policy Studies Network (ATPS) (Kenya)
35. Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) (Sweden)

93
Think Tanks with the Best External Relations/Public Engagement Program
Table #29
1. Brookings Institution (United States)
2. Amnesty International (United Kingdom)
3. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (United States)
4. Chatham House (United Kingdom)
5. Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) (United States)
6. Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) (United States)
7. Bruegel (Belgium)
8. Heritage Foundation (United States)
9. Human Rights Watch (United Kingdom)
10. Pew Research Center (United States)
11. Transparency International (TI) (Germany)
12. Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation (TESEV) (Turkey)
13. Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars (United States)
14. International Crisis Group (ICG) (Belgium)
15. International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) (United Kingdom)
16. Atlas Economic Research Foundation (United States)
17. Cato Institute (United States)
18. Center for Global Development (CGD) (United States)
19. Atlantic Council of the United States (United States)
20. Center for a New American Security (CNAS) (United States)
21. Peterson Institute for International Economics (United States)
22. Overseas Development Institute (ODI) (United Kingdom)
23. Open Society Institute (OSI) (United States)
24. Centro de Implementacin de Polticas Pblicas para la Equidad y el Crecimiento (CIPPEC)
(Argentina)
25. Lowy Institute for International Policy (Australia)
26. Centre for European Studies (CES) (Belgium)
27. Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS) (Germany)
28. Centro Brasileiro de Relaes Internacionals (CEBRI) (Brazil)
29. Libertad y Desarollo (LyD) (Chile)
30. Consejo Argentino para las Relaciones Internacionales (CARI) (Argentina)
31. Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) (Norway)
32. Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation (TESEV) (Turkey)
33. Centre for Policy Studies (CPS) (United Kingdom)
34. Fundao Getulio Vargas (FGV) (Brazil)
35. German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP) (Germany)
36. Urban Institute (United States)
37. German Development Institute (DIE) (Germany)
38. Gulf Research Center (GRC) (Saudi Arabia)
94
39. Kenya Institute of Public Policy Research Analysis (KIPPRA) (Kenya)
40. African Technology Policy Studies Network (ATPS) (Kenya)
41. Singapore Institute of International Affairs (SIIA) (Singapore)
42. Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIA) (Japan)
43. South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) (South Africa)
44. Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales (FLACSO) (Costa Rica)
45. Development Alternatives Group (India)
46. Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) (United Kingdom)
47. World Resources Institute (WRI) (United States)
48. German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP) (Germany)
49. Carnegie Europe (Belgium)
50. Clingendael, Netherlands Institute of International Relations (The Netherlands)

95
Think Tanks with the Most Significant Impact on Public Policy
Table #30
1. Amnesty International (United Kingdom)
2. Brookings Institution (United States)
3. Bruegel (Belgium)
4. Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) (United States)
5. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (United States)
6. Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) (United States)
7. Chatham House (United Kingdom)
8. RAND Corporation (United States)
9. American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research (AEI) (United States)
10. Heritage Foundation (United States)
11. Cato Institute (United States)
12. Center for American Progress (CAP) (United States)
13. Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS) (Belgium)
14. Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) (China)
15. Peterson Institute for International Economics (United States)
16. Human Rights Watch (United Kingdom)
17. Transparency International (TI) (Germany)
18. Adam Smith Institute (ASI) (United Kingdom)
19. International Crisis Group (ICG) (Belgium)
20. Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars (United States)
21. Fraser Institute (Canada)
22. Center for Social and Economic Research (CASE) (Poland)
23. Fundar, Centro de Anlisis e Investigacin (Mexico)
24. Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) (Sweden)
25. Center for a New American Security (CNAS) (United States)
26. Overseas Development Institute (ODI) (United Kingdom)
27. Open Society Institute (OSI) (United States)
28. International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) (United Kingdom)
29. Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIA) (Japan)
30. Korean Development Institute (KDI) (Republic of Korea)
31. German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP) (Germany)
32. Fundao Getulio Vargas (Brazil)
33. Al-Ahram Center for Strategic and Political Studies (ACPSS) (Egypt)
34. CESifo Group (Germany)
35. European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) (United Kingdom)
36. C. D. Howe Institute (Canada)
37. New America Foundation (United States)
38. Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS) (Germany)
39. Libertad y Desarrollo (LyD) (Chile)
96
40. Urban Institute (United States)
41. Centro Brasileiro de Relaes Internacionais (CEBRI) (Brazil)
42. Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA) (Senegal)
43. Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation (TESEV) (Turkey)
44. International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) (United Kingdom)
45. IMANI Center for Policy and Education (Ghana)
46. Centro de Estudios Pblicos (CEP) (Chile)
47. Kiel Institute for the World Economy (Germany)
48. Centro de Divulgacin del Conocimiento Econmico para la Libertad (CEDICE Libertad)
(Venezuela)
49. Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO) (Russia)
50. Center for Policy Studies at Central European University (CPS-CEU) (Hungary)
51. European Center for International Political Economy (ECIPE) (Belgium)
52. Organization for Social Science Research in Eastern and Southern Africa (OSSREA) (Ethiopia)
53. African Technology Policy Studies Network (ATPS) (Kenya)
54. Lowy Institute for International Policy (Australia)
55. North-South Institute (NSI) (Canada)
56. Centre for European Studies (CES) (Belgium)
57. Fundacion para la Educacin Superior y el Desarrollo (Fedesarrollo) (Colombia)
58. South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) (South Africa)
59. Council on Foreign and Defence Policy (SVOP) (Russia)
60. India Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER) (India)
61. Instituto Fernando Henrique Cardoso (iFHC) (Brazil)
62. Singapore Institute of International Affairs (SIIA) (Singapore)
63. Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales (FLACSO) (Costa Rica)
64. German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP) (Germany)
65. Unirule Institute of Economics (China)

97
Best University Affiliated Think Tanks
Table #31
1. Hoover Institution, Stanford University (United States)
2. Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard University (United States)
3. Institute of Development Studies (IDS), University of Sussex (United Kingdom)
4. Center for International Development (CID), Harvard University (United States)
5. Center for International Studies and Research (CERI), Sciences Po (France)
6. Earth Institute, Columbia University (United States)
7. IDEAS/Public Policy Group, London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) (United
Kingdom)
8. Center for Transatlantic Relations (CTR), School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), Johns
Hopkins University (United States)
9. Center for International Security and Cooperation (CISAC), Stanford University (United States)
10. Centre for Defence Studies (CDS), Kings College London (United Kingdom)
11. Yale Center for the Study of Globalization (YCSG), Yale University (United States)
12. Brookings-Tsinghua Center for Public Policy (BTC), Tsinghua University (China)
13. James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy, Rice University (United States)
14. Weatherhead Center for International Affairs (WCFIA), Harvard University (United States)
15. Centre for the Study of African Economies (CSAE), Oxford University (United Kingdom)
16. Center for Development Research (ZEF), University of Bonn (Germany)
17. Center for Security Studies (CSS), Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zurich
(Switzerland)
18. Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS), National University of Singapore (Singapore)
19. Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (FSI), Stanford University (United States)
20. BRICS Policy Center, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio) (Brazil)
21. Mercatus Center, George Mason University (GMU) (United States)
22. Human Security Report Project (HSRP), Simon Fraser University (Canada)
23. Center for Policy Studies (CPS), Central European University (CEU) (Hungary)
24. Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO) (Russia)
25. Institute for International Relations, Beijing University (China)
26. Strategic and Defence Studies Centre (SDSC), Australian National University (ANU) (Australia)
27. Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies (IDSS), S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies
(RSIS), Nanyang Technological University (Singapore)
28. Economic Policy Research Center (EPRC), Makerere University (Uganda)
29. Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales (FLACSO) (Costa Rica)
30. Centre for Strategic Studies (CSS), Victoria University of Wellington (New Zealand)
31. Center for Political Analysis, Makerere University (Uganda)
32. Liu Institute for Global Issues, University of British Columbia (UBC) (Canada)
33. Edwin O. Reischauer Center for East Asia Studies, School for Advanced International Studies
(SAIS), Johns Hopkins University (United States)
34. Centre for International Security Studies (CISS), The University of Sydney (Australia)
98
35. Globalisation and Development Centre (GDC), Bond University (Australia)
36. Weatherhead East Asian Institute, Columbia University (United States)
37. Centre for Security, Economics, Technology (C SET), University of St. Gallen (Switzerland)
38. Council on Foreign Relations and Defense (SVOP), National Research University (Russia)
39. Center for Economic Research and Graduate Education, Economics Institute (CERGE-EI) (Czech
Republic)
40. Centre for Studies in Social Change (OSC), Sciences Po (France)

99
Best Government Affiliated Think Tanks
Table #32

1. World Bank Institute (WBI), World Bank (United States)
2. United States Institute for Peace (USIP) (United States)
3. Chinese Academy of Social Science (CASS) (China )
4. Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies (RUSI) (United Kingdom)
5. United Nations University (UNU) (Japan)
6. Asian Development Bank Institute (Japan)
7. China Institute of International Studies (CIIS) (China )
8. German Development Institute (DIE) (Germany)
9. Korea Development Institute (KDI) (Republic of Korea)
10. China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations (CICIR) (China )
11. Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI) (Norway)
12. Development Research Group, World Bank (United States)
13. European Union Institute for Security Studies (France)
14. Council of Policy Advisors EU (Belgium)
15. East West Center (United States)
16. Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA) (India)
17. Institute of World Economy and International Relations (IMEMO, RAS) (Russia)
18. Instituto de Pesquisa Econmica Aplicada (IPEA) (Brazil)
19. Center for Strategic and International Studies (Indonesia)
20. Shanghai Institute for International Studies (China )
21. Polish Institute of International Affairs (Poland)
22. Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security (IFANS) (Republic of Korea)
23. Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales (FLACSO) (Ecuador)
24. Centre for Eastern Studies (OSW) (Poland)
25. Centre for European Studies (Belgium)
26. Development Research Center of the State Council (China )
27. Ethiopian Development Research Institute (Ethiopia)
28. Council on Foreign and Defense Policy (SVOP) (Russia)
29. Funao Alexandre Gusmao (Brazil)
30. Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI) (Japan)
31. Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam (Vietnam)
32. Center for Strategic Studies (Azerbaijan)
33. United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD) (Switzerland)
34. Brunei Darussalam Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies (BDIPSS) (Brunei)
35. University of Dar es Salaam (Tanzania)
36. Maritime Institute of Malaysia (MIMA) (Malaysia)
37. Information and Decision Support Center (Egypt)

38. Institute for West Asian and African Studies (China )
39. National Institute for Defense Studies (NIDS) (Japan)`
40. Institute of Strategic and Defense Studies at the National Defense University (Hungary)
41. (Hungary)
100
Best Think Tanks with Political Party Affiliation

Table #33
1. Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS) (Germany)
2. Friedrich Ebert Foundation (FES) (Germany)
3. Heinrich Boll Stiftung (HBS) (Germany)
4. Demos (United Kingdom)
5. Friedrich Naumann Foundation (FNS) (Germany)
6. Center for European Policy Studies (Belgium)
7. Progressive Policy Institute (PPI) (United States)
8. Fundacin para las Relaciones Internacionales y el Dilogo (FRIDE) (Spain)
9. Fabian Society (United Kingdom)
10. Fundacin IDEAS (Spain)
11. Hanns Seidel Foundation (Germany)
12. Central Party School (China)
13. European Ideas Network (Belgium)
14. Fondation pour lInnovation Politique (France)
15. Fundacion para el Analisis y los Estudios Sociales (FAES) (Spain)
16. Robert Shuman Foundation (France)
17. Fundacin Armando Alvares Penteado (FAAP) (Brazil)
18. Fondazione Italianieuropei (Italy)
19. Fundacin Pensar (Argentina)
20. Center for Policy Studies (Belgium)
21. New Democrat Network (United States)
22. Foundation for European Progressive Studies (FEPS) (Belgium)
23. Fundacin Jaime Guzman (Chile)
24. Institute of Strategic Analysis and Policy Research (INSAP) (Malaysia)
25. Green European Foundation (GEF) (Belgium)
26. Terra Nova (France)
27. Foundation for EU Democracy (Belgium)
28. Wiardi Beckman Foundation (The Netherlands)
29. Rosa Luxemburg Foundation (Germany)
30. SEDAR Institute (Malaysia)

Some of the institutions listed in this category are formally affiliated with a political party while others
are independent, but their research and policy proposals aligned with a political party even though they lack
formal affiliation.
101
Best For-Profit Think Tanks (Unranked and in Alphabetical order)
Table #34
Access Capital Research (Ethiopia)
AT Kearney Business Roundtable (United States)
Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation (Portugal)
Daimler Benz Future Research Unit (Germany)
Deutsche Bank Research (Germany)
Economist Intelligence Unit (United Kingdom)
Ernest & Young (United States)
Eurasia Group (United States)
Google Ideas (United States)
IHS Global Insight (United Kingdom)
Initiative Neue Soziale Marktwirtschaft (INSM) (Germany)
Kernel Development Research P.L.C. (Ethiopia)
Kissinger Associates (United States)
McKinsey Global Institute (United States)
Nomura Research Institute (Japan)
Oxford Analytica (United States)
Prioritet (Azerbaijan)
Roubini Global Economics (United States)
Samsung Economic Research Institute (Korea)
SiR International (United States)
Stratfor (United States)
The Hybrid Reality Institute (United States)
Wiardi Beckman Foundation (The Netherlands)

102
Best Think Tanks with an Annual Operating Budget under $5 Million USD
Table #35
1. North-South Institute (Canada)
2. Center for Social and Economic Research (CASE) (Poland)
3. Centro Brasileiro de Relaes Internationais (CEBRI) (Brazil)
4. Libertad y Desarrollo (Chile)
5. Centro de Estudios Pblicos (CEP) (Chile )
6. Economic Policy Research Institute (South Africa)
7. African Technology Policy Studies network (ATPS) (Kenya)
8. Center for Economic and Social Development (CESD) (Azerbaijan)
9. Center for Public Policy Studies (Malaysia)
10. IMANI Center for Policy and Education (Ghana)
11. Centro de Divulgacin del Conocimiento Econmico para la Libertad (CEDICE Libertad)
(Venezuela)
12. Consejo Argentino de Relaciones Internacionales (Argentina)
13. USP Research Center for Public Policy (Brazil)
14. Unirule Institute of Economics (China )
15. Integrated Research and Action for Development (IRADe) (India)
16. Organization for Social Science Research in Eastern and Southern Africa (Ethiopia)
17. Instituto Ecuatoriano de Economa Poltica (Ecuador )
18. Polish Institute of International Affairs (PISM) (Poland)
19. Foreign Policy Research Institute United States
20. Fundar (Mexico)

103
Best Advocacy Campaign
Table #36
1. Amnesty International (United Kingdom)
2. Human Rights Watch (United Kingdom)
3. Transparency International (TI) (Germany)
4. International Crisis Group (ICG) (Belgium)
5. Batory Foundation (Poland)
6. Open Society Europe (Belgium)
7. Foreign Policy Initiative (FPI) (United States)
8. Qatar Foundation (Qatar)
9. Economic Research Center (Azerbaijan)
10. Global Witness ((United Kingdom)
11. Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) (Norway)
12. Enough Project (United States)
13. Pew Research Center (United States)
14. Center for American Progress (CAP) (United States)
15. Heritage Foundation (United States)
16. Cato Institute (United States)
17. Arab Reform Alternatives (ARA) (Egypt)
18. FreedomWorks (United States)
19. Acton Institute (United States)
20. One Campaign (United States)
21. Center for European Policy Analysis (United States)
22. Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources Policy Analysis Network (FANRPAN) (South Africa)
23. European Council on Foreign Relations (United Kingdom)
24. Heinrich Boll Stiftung (HBS) (Germany)
25. British Taxpayers Alliance (United Kingdom)
26. Institute for Justice (United States)
27. Americans for Tax Reform (United States)
28. Copenhagen Consensus Center (Denmark)
29. African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC) (Kenya)
30. Central Asian Free Market Institute (Kyrgyzstan)
31. Istituto Bruno Leoni (Italy)
32. Conectas Direitos Humanos (Brazil)
33. Center for Policy Analysis (Ghana)
34. Center for Global Development (CGD) (United States)
35. Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) (United States)
36. Overseas Development Institute (ODI) (United Kingdom)
37. GRAIN (Spain)
38. Advocates Coalition for Development and Environment (Uganda)
39. Association for International Affairs (Czech Republic)
40. Consejo Mexicano de Asuntos Internacionales (COMEXI) (Mexico)
104
41. Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA) (Senegal)
42. Tax Foundation (United States)
43. Americas Principles Project (United States)
44. Centro de Investigaciones Econmicas Nacionales (CIEN) (Guatemala)
45. Truman National Security Project (TNSP) (United States)
46. Centro de Implementacin de Polticas Pblicas para la Equidad y el Crecimiento (CIPPEC)
(Argentina)
47. European Stability Initiative (Germany)
48. Centre d'Etudes et de Recherches en Sciences Sociales (CERSS) (Morocco)
49. Corner House (United Kingdom)
50. Refugee Advocacy Network (Australia)
51. Center for Strategic Studies (Azerbaijan)
52. Culture and Arts Society (Ethiopia)
53. Tax Justice Network (United Kingdom)
54. Property and Environment Research Center (PERC) (United States)
55. Global Financial Integrity (United States)
56. Fundacion Ethos (Mexico)
57. World Federalist Movement (United States)
58. The Geneva Association (Switzerland)
59. Uwezo (Kenya)
60. Ethiopian Broadcast (Ethiopia)
61. Fundacion para el Desarrollo Economico y Social de Panama (FUDESPA) (Panama)
62. Instituto Mexicano para la Competitividad (Mexico)
63. African Technology Policy Studies Network (ATPS) (Kenya)
64. Fortnight for Freedom (United States)
65. Analytical Centre on Globalization and Regional Cooperation (ACGRC) (Armenia)
66. Centre for Public Policy Studies (CPPS) (Malaysia)
67. Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies (IPCS) (India)
68. Instituto Mexicano para la Competitividad (Mexico)
69. Makerere Institute of Social Research (Uganda)
70. Think New Mexico (United States)
71. Ukrainian Center for Independent Political Research (Ukraine)
72. Institut d'Etudes Africaines (IEA) (Morocco)
73. National Budget Group (Azerbaijan)
74. National Council for Science & Technology (Kenya)
75. SynergyNet (China)

105
Best Policy Study/Report Produced by a Think Tank 2011-2012
Table #37
1. Brookings Institution (United States)
2. Bruegel (Belgium)
3. Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) (United States)
4. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (United States)
5. Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) (United States)
6. Human Rights Watch (United States)
7. RAND Corporation (United States)
8. American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research (AEI) (United States)
9. Peterson Institute for International Economics (United States)
10. Transparency International (TI) (Germany)
11. Center for New American Security (CNAS) (United States)
12. C.D. Howe Institute (Canada)
13. International Crisis Group (ICG) (Belgium)
14. IDEAS (United Kingdom)
15. Al Ahram Center for Political and Strategic studies (ACPSS) (Egypt)
16. Fundao Getlio Vargas (FGV) (Brazil)
17. Advocates Coalition for Development and Environment (ACODE) (Uganda)
18. Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources Policy Analysis Network (FANRPAN) (South Africa)
19. Institute of World Economy and International Relations (IMEMO, RAS) (Russia)
20. Institute of Development Studies (IDS) (United Kingdom)
21. Overseas Development Institute (ODI) (United Kingdom)
22. Center for Global Development (CGD) (United States)
23. Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA) (India)
24. Rebuild Japan Initiative Foundation (Japan)
25. Centre for European Reform (CER) (United Kingdom)
26. Fundacion para la Relaciones Internacionales y el Dialogo Exterior (FRIDE) (Spain)
27. German Development Institute (DIE) (Germany)
28. Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) (Norway)
29. Libertad y Desarrollo (Chile)
30. Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIA) (Japan)
31. Notre Europe (France)
32. German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP) (Germany)
33. Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP) (Greece)
34. Istituto per gli Studi di Politica Internazionale (ISPI) (Italy)
35. European Council for International Political Economy (ECIPE) (Belgium)
36. Analytical Centre on Globalization and Regional Cooperation (ACGRC) (Armenia)
37. Centro de Investigaciones Econmicas Nacionales (CIEN) (Guatemala)
38. Kofi Anan Foundation (Switzerland)
39. Instituto Mexicano para la Competitividad (Mexico)
40. The Economic Policy Research Foundation (TEPAV) (Turkey)
106
41. Institute of Peace & Conflict Studies (India)
42. Cellule d'Analyse de Politiques Economiques du CIRES (Cote d'Ivore)
43. Heinrich Boll Stiftung (HBS) (Germany)
44. Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis (KIPPRA) (Kenya)
45. Politeia (United Kingdom)
46. Centre d'Etudes et de Recherche Dmographiques (CERED) (Vietnam)
47. The Institute of Energy Economics (Japan)
48. Corner House (United Kingdom)
49. Asociace pro mezinarodni otazky (Czech Republic)
50. Natural Resources Policy Analysis Network (South Africa)
51. The Romanian Academic Society (Romania)
52. Institut Royal des Etudes Stratgiques (IRES) (Morocco)
53. Moroccan Interdisciplinary Center for Strategic and International Studies (Morocco)
54. National Council for Science & Technology (Kenya)
55. Institut d'Etudes Africaines (IEA) (Morocco)
56. Levy Economics Institute (United States)
57. Think New Mexico (United States)
58. United Service Institution (India)
59. Instituto de Estudios Peruanos (IEP) (Peru)
60. West Africa Institute (Cape Verde)

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APPENDICES

A. CALL FOR INTERNATIONAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEMBERS AND
REGIONAL AND FUNCTIONAL EXPERT PANEL MEMBERS

Call for nominations email letter sent on April 9, 2012
1st reminder sent on May 28, 2011
2nd reminder sent on June 1, 2011
Nominations closed on June 5, 2011


April 9, 2012

Dear Friend and Colleague:

We are currently seeking nominations of qualified individuals to serve on the Expert Panels
for the 2012 Global Go To Think Tank Index Project.

The Expert Panels (EP) will be comprised of distinguished individuals from around the
world who are policy makers, public and private donors, journalists, former think tank
executives and academics. These individuals will provide advice and support for the Global
Go To Think Tank Index Project. The responsibilities will include providing advice on
project development and design, external relations and resource mobilization.

The Expert Panelist (EP) members should have an in- depth knowledge of national and
regional think tanks and/or be a functional areas expert in the research areas covered by the
think tanks index (i.e. security and international affairs, domestic economics, social policy,
etc.). Expert Panelists will help with the nominations and rankings process for the 2012
Global Go To Think Tank Index. Members will be expected to help solicit and review
nominations in their area of expertise and assist with the ranking process. The purpose of
the EP is to assure the quality and integrity of the rankings process.

You are encouraged to make nominations in all categories where you can recommend
qualified candidates. Nominations can be made below in the following categories:

1. Regional Expert Panels

a. United States
b. Canada, Mexico, and Caribbean
c. South America
d. Middle East and North Africa
e. Sub-Saharan Africa
f. Western Europe
g. Central and Eastern Europe
h. South and Central Asia (NEW CATEGORY IN 2012)

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2. Functional Research Area Expert Panels

a. International Development
b. Health Policy
c. Environmental Policy
d. Security and International Affairs
e. Domestic Economic Policy
f. International Economic Policy
g. Social Policy
h. Science and Technology Policy
i. Transparency and Good Governance
j. Energy and Resource Policy (NEW CATEGORY IN 2012)
k. Education Policy (NEW CATEGORY IN 2012)

3. Specialty Categories

a. Best Think Tank with a Budget under $5 Million USD
b. Best New Think Tanks (last 24 months)
c. Best Independent Think Tanks (financially, structurally and legally independent of
government and political parties) (NEW CATEGORY IN 2012)
d. Think Tank with an Exemplary Policy-Oriented Public Policy Research Program
e. Best Use of the Internet and Social Media to Engage the Public
f. Best Use of the Media (Print or Electronic) to Communicate Programs and Research
g. Best External Relations/Public Engagement Program
h. Best Advocacy Campaign (NEW CATEGORY IN 2012)
i. Best Policy Study Produced by a Think Tank 2011-2012 (NEW CATEGORY IN 2012)
j. Most Significant Impact on Public Policy
k. Most Innovative Policy Ideas/Proposals

For any questions or problems please contact James G. McGann at jmcgann@sas.upenn.edu
or (215)746-2928.


James G. McGann, Ph.D.
Assistant Director, International Relations Program
Director, Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program
University of Pennsylvania
635 Williams Hall
255 S. 36th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6304

Main Office: 215 898-0452
Direct Line: 215 746-2928
Mobile: 215 206-1799
Email: jmcgann@sas.upenn.edu
IR Website: http://www.sas.upenn.edu/irp/
TTCSP Website: http://www.gotothinktank.com

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B. CALL FOR NOMINATIONS: 2011 GLOBAL GO TO THINK TANK INDEX

Email to over 11,500 Individuals and Organizations in over 213 countries

Call for nomination email letter sent on June 30, 2012
1st Reminder sent on July 12, 2012
2nd Reminder sent on August 17, 2012
3rd Reminder sent on August 24, 2012
4th and final reminder sent on August 30, 2011
Nominations Round I closed on September 6, 2012


Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program
International Relations Program
University of Pennsylvania
635 Williams Hall
255 South 36th Street
PHILADELPHIA, PA, USA 19104-6305
TEL. (001) 215 746-2928
EMAIL: Jmcgann@sas.upenn.edu

June 30, 2012

Greetings Colleagues and Friends:

I am pleased to announce the commencement of the 2012 Global Go-To Think Tank
Report nominating process. The Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program at the University
of Pennsylvania (TTCSP) is contacting you for help in identifying the worlds leading think
tanks for the 2012 Global Go-To Index. The primary objective of the index is to bring
national and international recognition to the important role think tanks play in civil societies
and governments around the world.

Please submit your nominations using the link to the survey below on or before August 15,
2012. Please take the time to make your nominations online, using this survey link:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/GXDF5XH. Nominations can also be submitted by
email to jmcgann@sas.upenn.edu but we encourage you to use the survey.

The process is simple and we have provided the following tools to help complete the survey:
a link to the online nominations survey, a list of the nomination categories, a definition of
think tanks, think tank ranking criteria and a think tank assessment tool. I encourage you to
make nominations only in the areas in which you have knowledge and experience and for
think tanks that you feel warrant consideration as centers of excellence on global, regional
and national levels.

The selection process for the 2012 Global Go-To Rankings will be conducted in three
rounds. This methodology in the rankings and selection process is the result of the
recommendations made by the Expert Panelists who participated in the 2010 rankings
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process. In 2010 the ranking criteria and rankings process underwent a thorough review by
120 members of the Global Expert Panel and several changes were implemented. Each one
of criterion used to rank think tanks was evaluated, which validated the efficacy of the
nominations and ranking criteria used for the global rankings. The Expert Panel members
made some additional recommendations at the conclusion of the 2011 Rankings that are
reflected in this years survey.

Finally, the Expert Panel members voiced strong support for the open, democratic and
transparent process that they feel is one of the defining characteristics of the Global Think
Tank Index. The Expert Panel also endorsed the methodology of using regional and
functional experts and peers who are guided by a set of criteria to rank think tanks. While we
are encouraged by these findings we continue to strive to improve the process and welcome
any comments or suggestions you might have for how we might improve the Global Go-To
Think Tank Index.

This years process and schedule is summarized below:

Round I:
Nominations June 30 September 2012
Call for Nominations is sent to 6,500 think tanks and approximately 3500 journalists, public
and private donors and policy-makers from around the world. These nominations are
tabulated and institutes with 5 or more nominations are included in the next step of the 2012
Think Tank Rankings process.

Round II:
Peer/Expert Rankings: September November 2012
Think Tanks with 5 or more nominations will be placed in an electronic ranking survey. A
letter announcing the second round is emailed to all the think tanks, journalists, public and
private donors, and the policy maker group who have agreed to participate in the process.
The rankings are tabulated and the list of finalists is generated for the Expert Panel to review
and make final selections. This year Regional and Functional Expert Panels have been
created for every category and these specialists will be consulted to help assure the quality
and accuracy of the nominations before they are placed on the final rankings survey.
Individuals who served on last years Expert Panel and those who have been nominated this
year will be invited to serve on the 2011 Expert Panel. Experts from every region and
functional area will be represented on the Expert Panel.

Round III:
Expert Panel Selects 2011 Go To Think Tanks: November December 2012
The members of the Expert Panel receive information packets by email in order to facilitate
the final selection process.

2012 Global Go-To Think Tank Rankings Announced: January 2013

The 2012 Global Go-To Think Tanks are announced at the United Nations in New York
and at selected organizations in every region of the world.

NOMINATION INSTRUCTIONS AND PROCEDURES
111

You may nominate up to 25 organizations for the leading think tank in the world. Please also
nominate top think tanks by region, areas of research and special achievement.

You may nominate up to 25 institutions per region, 25 per research area, 10 per
organizational or programmatic achievement and 5 Top Think Tanks.

Please note that all nominations you make will be kept confidential. NO SELF
NOMINATIONS WILL BE CONSIDERED.
Please submit your responses no later than August 15, 2011.

A copy of the unabridged 2010 Global Go-To Report is currently posted on the University
of Pennsylvania International Relations Program web page:
http://www.gotothinktank.com/wp-
content/uploads/2010GlobalGoToReport_ThinkTankIndex_UNEDITION_15_.pdf

We value your input and welcome additional comments or suggestions you may have for
improving the nominating and ranking processes, as well as how the findings are reported
and disseminated.

Thank you for your assistance with the 2011 Global Go-To Think Tank Index.

James G. McGann, Ph.D.

Assistant Director, International Relations Program
Director, Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program
University of Pennsylvania
635 Williams Hall
255 S. 36th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6304
Main Office: 215 898-0452
Direct Line: 215 746-2928
Email: jmcgann@sas.upenn.edu
IR Web site: http://www.sas.upenn.edu/irp/


Helping to bridge the gap between knowledge and policy

Helping to bridge the gap between knowledge and policy

2010 Global Go To Think Tank Nomination Categories
Please use the on-line survey instrument to submit your nomination so they can be properly
tabulated.

Category I. Best New Think Tanks (established in the last 18 months) (Global)
Nominate up to 10 institutions.

Category II. Outstanding Policy-Oriented Public Policy Research Program (Global)
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Nominate up to 10 institutions.

Category III. Best Use of the Internet and Social Media to Engage the Public (Global)
Nominate up to 10 institutions.

Category VI. Best Use of the Media (Print or Electronic) to Communicate Programs and
Research (Global)
Nominate up to 10 institutions.

Category V. Best External Relations/Public Engagement Program
Nominate up to 10 institutions.

Category VI. Greatest Impact on Public Policy
Nominate up to 10 institutions.

Category VII. Think Tanks with the Most Innovative Policy Ideas/Proposals
Nominate up to 10 institutions and include the specific policy idea/proposal.

Category VIII. Best University Affiliated Think Tanks
Nominate up to 10 institutions.

Category IX. Best Government Affiliated Think Tanks
Nominate up to 10 institutions

Category X. Best Political Party Affiliated Think Tanks
Nominate up to 10 institutions.

Category XI. Best For-Profit Think Tanks
Nominate up to 10 institutions.

Category XII: Best Think Tanks with an Annual Operating Budget of less than $5 Million
USD (Global)
Nominate up to 10 institutions.

Category XIII: Top Think Tanks by Research Area
Nominate up to 25 institutions for each of these categories:
Top 25 International Development Think Tanks
Top 25 Health Policy Think Tanks
Top 25 Environment Think Tanks
Top 25 Security and International Affairs Think Tanks
Top 25 Domestic Economic Policy Think Tanks
Top 25 International Economic Policy Think Tanks
Top 25 Social Policy Think Tanks
Top 25 Science and Technology Think Tanks
Top 25 Transparency and Good Governance Think Tanks

Category XIV: Top Think Tanks by Region (Regional)
Nominate up to 25 institutions for each of these regions:
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Top 25 Think Tanks Worldwide (Non-United States) ****
Top 25 Think Tanks in the United States
Top 25 Think Tanks in Mexico, Canada and the Caribbean
Top 25 Think Tanks in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
Top 25 Think Tanks in Sub-Saharan Africa
Top 25 Think Tanks in Asia
Top 25 Think Tanks in Central and Eastern Europe
Top 25 Think Tanks in Western Europe
Top 25 Think Tanks in the Central and South America

Category XV: Think Tank of the YearTop Think Tank in the World (Global)
Nominate up to 5 institutions.

**** United States think tanks have been excluded from this category in order to collect a
representative sample of the top think tanks worldwide. Many of the top think tanks in the
United States have a global reach in terms of their research and programming. Such think
tanks may have taken a disproportional number of the Top 25 spots; thus, please exclude
U.S. think tanks in this category.
Category XIV: Think Tank of the YearTop

THINK TANK DEFINITION

Think tanks or public policy research, analysis, and engagement institutions are organizations
that generate policy-oriented research, analysis, and advice on domestic and international
issues in an effort to enable policymakers and the public to make informed decisions about
public policy issues. Think tanks may be affiliated with political parties, governments,
interest groups, or private corporations or constituted as independent nongovernmental
organizations (NGOs). These institutions often act as a bridge between the academic and
policymaking communities, serving the public interest as an independent voice that translates
applied and basic research into a language and form that is understandable, reliable, and
accessible for policymakers and the public.

Structured as permanent bodies, in contrast with ad hoc commissions or research panels,
think tanks devote a substantial portion of their financial and human resources to
commissioning and publishing research and policy analysis in the social sciences: political
science, economics, public administration, and international affairs. The major outputs of
these organizations are books, monographs, reports, policy briefs, conferences, seminars,
formal briefings and informal discussions with policymakers, government officials, and key
stakeholders.

In an effort to help make sense of this highly diverse set of institutions we have created a
typology that takes into consideration the comparative differences in political systems and
civil societies around the world. While think tanks may perform many roles in their host
societies, not all think tanks do the same things to the same extent. Over the last 85 years,
several distinctive organizational forms of think tanks have come into being that differ
substantially in terms of their operating styles, their patterns of recruitment, their aspirations
to academic standards of objectivity and completeness in research and their engagement of
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policy makers, the press and the public. We believe, despite these differences that most think
tanks tend to fall into the broad categories outlined below.

CATEGORIES OF THINK TANK AFFILIATIONS

Category Definition
Autonomous and Independent Significant independence from any one interest group or
donor and autonomous in its operation and funding from government.*
Quasi Independent Autonomous from government but an interest group (i.e. unions,
religious groups, etc.), donor or contracting agency provides a majority of the funding and
has significant influence over operations of the think tank.
University Affiliated A policy research center at a university.
Political Party Affiliated Formally affiliated with a political party.
Government Affiliated A part of the structure of government.
Quasi Governmental Funded exclusively by government grants and contracts but not a part
of the formal structure of government.

NOMINATIONS AND RANKING CRITERIA
It is essential that you consider a variety of criteria in making your decisions. These may
include, but are not limited to:
# Direct relationship between organizations efforts in a particular area to a positive change
in societal values such as significant changes in quality of life within respective country
(amounts of goods and services available to citizens, state of physical and mental health,
quality of environment, quality of political rights, access to institutions);
# Publication of the organizations work by peer reviewed journals, books and other
authoritative publications;
# Ability to retain elite scholars & analysts;
# Access to elites in the area of policymaking, media and academia;
# Academic reputation (formal accreditation, citation of think tank, publications by scholars
in major academic books, journals, conferences and in other professional publications);
# Media reputation (number of media appearances, interviews and citations);
# Reputation with policymakers (name recognition with particular issues, number of
briefings and official appointments, policy briefs, legislative testimony delivered);
# Level of organizations financial resources (endowment, membership fees, annual
donations, government and private contracts, earned income);
# Ability of the organization to meet the demands of those that fund it or to meet the goals
of its respective grant-making institution;
# Overall output of organization (policy proposals, publications, interviews, conferences,
staff nominated to official posts);
# Number of recommendations to policymakers, staff serving advisory roles to policymakers,
awards given to scholars;
# Usefulness of organizations information in advocacy work, preparing legislation or
testimony, preparing academic papers or presentations, conducting research or teaching;
# The organizations ability to produce new knowledge or alternative ideas on policy;
# Ability to bridge the gap between the academic and policymaking communities;
# Ability to bridge the gap between policymakers and the public;
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# Ability to include new voices in the policymaking process;
# Ability of organization to be inscribed within issue and policy networks;
# Success in challenging the traditional wisdom of policymakers and in generating innovative
policy ideas and programs.

THINK TANK ASSESSMENT TOOL

Clearly, assessing the impact of think tanks is not an easy endeavor to undertake given the
various and conflicting actors, events, and politics involved in the policy making process.
Despite the significant challenges in establishing a causal relationship between knowledge
and policy, it is necessary for think tanks to understand and effectively respond to the
growing chorus of questions being raised by donors, journalists, and the public about the
role and influence of think tanks in civil societies and governments around the world.
According to the research of Donald Abelson, James McGann, and others, think tanks can
utilize various measures to assess the impact of increases in their activities as well as to
account for their contributions to the policymaking environment and civil society. McGanns
recent (2008) research has focused on developing a comprehensive assessment tool for
evaluating a think tanks impact. The impetus for this research, in part, was the apparent
confusion that exists about the differences between outputs and impacts. In various studies
and surveys that McGann has conducted over the years, researchers and think tanks
responded curiously when asked about impact on public policy and how they measure it.
The overwhelming response was to provide a list of research outputs (number of books
published, conference held, web hits, media appearances, etc.). Outputs, however, are not
the only way to measure impact. The metric provided below is designed to serve as a
catalyst for a discussion on how to effectively measure the impact of think tanks. It is
provided here as background for the think tank ranking process in the hopes that it will help
clarify the distinction between outputs and impacts and provide a useful tool as you prepare
your rankings.

# Resource indicators: Ability to recruit and retain leading scholars and analysts; the level,
quality, and stability of financial support; proximity and access to decision-makers and other
policy elites; a staff with the ability to conduct rigorous research and produce timely and
incisive analysis; institutional currency; quality and reliability of networks; and key contacts in
the policy academic communities, and the media
# Utilization indicators: Reputation as a go-to organization by media and policy elites in
the country; quantity and quality of media appearances and citations, web hits, testimony
before legislative and executive bodies; briefings, official appointments, consultation by
officials or departments/agencies; books sold; reports distributed; references made to
research and analysis in scholarly and popular publications and attendees at conferences and
seminars organized
# Output indicators: Number and quality of: policy proposals and ideas generated;
publications produced (books, journal articles, policy briefs, etc.); news interviews
conducted; briefings, conferences, and seminars organized; and staff who are nominated to
advisory and government posts
# Impact indicators: Recommendations considered or adopted by policymakers and civil
society organizations; issue network centrality; advisory role to political parties, candidates,
transition teams; awards granted; publication in or citation of publications in academic
116
journals, public testimony and the media that influences the policy debate and decision-
making; listserv and web site dominance; and success in challenging the conventional
wisdom and standard operating procedures of bureaucrats and elected officials in the
country

Beyond this quantitative assessment, an effective evaluation of impact should also involve
NGOs, as well as members of the government and policymakers, to ascertain the degree to
which they have utilized the grantees research output. This participation can be obtained
through interviews, surveys, questionnaires, and focus group meetings, utilizing the
Outcome Mapping which moves away from assessing the products of an activity or a
program to focus on changes in behaviors and relationships (outcomes) which can lead to
changes. Impact can be viewed as positive if it changes the behavior, relationships,
activities, or actions of the people, groups, and organizations with whom a program works
directly.

Although this qualitative assessment is essential because it recognizes that policy impact can
be successfully achieved even if policy prescriptions are not directly translated into actual
policy, we recommend that this assessment should be translated into numerical rankings,
thereby allowing comparisons with baseline data for effective monitoring and evaluation in
the future.

THANKS FOR TAKING THE TIME TO COMPLETE THE NOMINATIONS
SURVEY!!!!
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C. EMAIL INVITING PEERS AND EXPERT PANELISTS TO RANK 2011
NOMINATED INSTITUTIONS

Email sent on October 20, 2012
1st reminder sent on November 11, 2012
2nd reminder sent on November 24, 2012
3rd reminder sent on November 29, 2011
4th and final reminder sent on November 30, 2012
2012 Ranking Process Closed on November 30, 2012


635 Williams Hall
255 South 36th Street
PHILADELPHIA, PA, USA 19104-6305
TEL. (001) 215 746-2928
EMAIL: Jmcgann@sas.upenn.edu

October 20, 2012

Dear Colleague:

I am writing to invite you to help rank the think tanks that have been nominated for the top
think tanks in the world for 2012.

Please use this link to enter the rankings survey

The survey is designed to have a unique signature from your e-mail account making it
possible for us to track response activity from you and other individuals who respond to the
survey.

Please note that your rankings are due on November 20, 2012 and all rankings will be kept
strictly confidential.

I am pleased to report that over 1000 individuals participated in the nominations process
from 105 countries, which resulted in 743 institutions qualifying for consideration across the
38 categories. The distribution of nominations 743 institutions by region is impressive:
Africa (75); Asia (135); Oceania (12); Western Europe (175); Eastern and Central Europe
(83); Latin America (53); Middle East and North Africa (58) and North and Central America
(152)

Thanks to our outreach efforts we have witnessed a dramatic increase in the participation
from journalists, public and private donors and policymakers from Eastern and Central
Europe, Asia, Latin America and Africa as demonstrated by the charts provided below.

The impact of this increased participation is reflected in each and every one of the 38
ranking categories.

118
Over the last two months it has taken a marathon of weekends and late nights to compile
the lists of nominees and to consult with members of the Expert Panel to assure the quality
and integrity of the nominations process. As you go through the list you will realize that the
list of nominated institution represents a valuable reference and networking resource that
will only be enhanced by your participation in the next round of 2012 Global Go To Tank
rankings. Our goal is to create a list of the worlds top think tanks that is rigorous,
transparent, representative, inclusive and authoritative.

When ranking the top think tanks in the world, we suggest that you use the criteria provided
and focus on aspects such as the rigor and relevance of the research and analysis produced,
scale of operations, breadth of audience and financial support, contribution of research and
analysis to public debate and the policymaking process, and the organizations overall impact
on public policy.

To help with this process please utilize the following criteria when ranking the nominated
institutions for the 2012 Global Go To Think Tank Index:

Direct relationship between the organizations efforts in a particular area to a positive
change in societal values such as significant changes in quality of life within respective
country (amounts of goods and services available to citizens, state of physical and mental
health, quality of environment, quality of political rights, access to institutions);
Publication of the organizations work in peer-reviewed journals, books and other
authoritative publications;
Ability to retain elite scholars and analysts;
Access to elites in the area of policymaking, media, and academia;
Academic reputation (formal accreditation, citation of think tank; publications by scholars
in major academic books, journals, conferences, and in other professional publications);
Media reputation (number of media appearances, interviews, and citations);
Reputation with policymakers (name recognition with particular issues, number of briefings
and official appointments, policy briefs, legislative testimony delivered);
Level of the organizations financial resources (endowment, membership fees, annual
donations, government and private contracts, earned income),
Ability of the organization to meet the demands of those that fund it or to meet the goals
of its respective grant-making institution;
Overall output of the organization (policy proposals, publications, interviews, conferences,
staff nominated to official posts);
Number of recommendations to policymakers, staff serving advisory roles to policymakers,
awards given to scholars;
Usefulness of the organizations information in advocacy work, preparing legislation or
testimony, preparing academic papers or presentations, conducting research, or teaching;
Organizations ability to produce new knowledge or alternative ideas on policy;
Ability to bridge the gap between academic and policy communities and policymakers and
the public;
Ability to include new voices in the policymaking process;
Ability of the organization to be inscribed within issue and policy networks; and
Success in challenging the traditional wisdom of policymakers and for generating
innovative policy ideas.

119
Your participation in the process helps us recognize centers of excellence in public policy
research, analysis and engagement organizations (think tanks) that are operating in
governments and civil societies around the world.

A few important ground rules:
***You cannot rank your own institution.
***Adhere to professional conduct by revealing and avoiding any potential conflicts of
interest.
***Use the selection criteria provided as a tool when evaluating organizations when ranking
each group of institutions.
***Avoid political, ideological and discipline bias when ranking institutions.

You have 1 month to complete the rankings process. You can reenter the survey as
frequently as you like but YOU MUST KEEP THE ORIGINAL LINK THAT IS
PROVIDED IN THE FRIST PARAGRAPH OF THIS EMAIL. PLEASE NOTE IT IS
UNIQUE TO YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS AND CANNOT BE SHARED WITH
OTHERS. Please complete the rankings process by November 30th, 2012.

Should you have any questions, comments or suggestions dont hesitate to contact me to
discuss them. For more information on the Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program, please
see the description below. If you feel there is a glowing omission or error please bring it to
our attentions and we will share it with the Expert Panel.

Please note: If you do not wish to receive further emails from us, please click the link below,
and you will be automatically removed from our mailing list
http://www.surveymonkey.com/optout.aspx

Thank you for your participation and continued interest in our research on think tanks and
civil societies around the world.
Sincerely,

James G. McGann

Think Tank and Civil Societies Program

The Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program (TTCSP) at the International Relations
Program, University of Pennsylvania conducts research on the role policy institutes play in
governments and civil societies around the world. TTCSP was established in 1989. TTCSP
maintains a database and network of over 6,500 think tanks in 152 countries. Often referred
to as the think tanks think tank, TTCSP examines the evolving role and character of
public policy research organizations. Over the last 25 years, the Program has developed and
led a series of global initiatives that have helped bridge the gap between knowledge and
policy in critical policy areas such as international peace and security, globalization and
governance, international economics, environmental issues, information and society, poverty
alleviation, and healthcare/global health. These international collaborative efforts are
designed to establish regional and international networks of policy institutes and
communities that improve policy making while strengthening democratic institutions and
civil societies around the world. TTCSP works with leading scholars and practitioners from
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think tanks and universities in a variety of collaborative efforts and programs and maintains
the worlds leading research database and directory of think tanks. TTCSP produces the
annual Global Go To Think Tank Index that ranks worlds leading think tanks with the help
of a panel of over 1,500 peer institutions and experts from the print and electronic media,
academia, public and private donor institutions, and governments around the world.
121
D. SAMPLE EMAIL TO REGIONAL AND FUNCTIONAL AREA EXPERT
PANEL MEMBERS REQUESTING THEIR REVIEW OF THE PENULTIMATE
2011 LIST OF INSTITUTIONS TO BE RANKED IN ROUND II

Emails sent on or around September 15, 2012
Expert Panel Review Period closed on October 10, 2012


255 South 36th Street
638 Williams Hall
PHILADELPHIA, PA 19104
TEL. (215) 746-2928
FAX (215) 732-4401
EMAIL:jmcgann@sas.upenn.edu

September 12, 2011

Dear Allison:

I hope all is well with you and your fall semester is off to a great start. Can I ask you to
review the list of nominated think tanks in the following two categories: 1) top think tanks in
Asia and 2) Top Security and International Affairs think tanks and let me know if you find
any errors, translation typos or serious omissions? We are about to launch Round II where
all of the nominated think tanks will be ranked and I want to make sure there are not serious
issues with the list of nominees. Thanks in advance for your assistance with the ranking
process.

All the best,
Jim McGann


2012 Nominated Top Think Tanks in Asia:

Alternate Solutions Institute (Pakistan)
Asan Institute (South Korea)
Asia Forum Japan (AFJ), (Japan)
Asian Development Bank Institute (Japan)
Australian Institute for International Affairs (AIIA) (Australia)
Bangladesh Institute for Development Studies (BIDS), (Bangladesh)
Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace, (Cambodia)
Carnegie Endowment for International PeaceTsinghua Center for Global Policy (China)
Cathay Institute for Public Affairs, (China)
Center for Civil Society (India)
Center for Economic Research (Uzbekistan)
Center for Free Enterprise (South Korea)
Center for International and Strategic Studies and Peking University (China)
Center for Policy Research (India)
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Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy, (India)
Centre for Independent Studies, (Australia)
Centre for Policy Dialogue, (Bangladesh)
Centre for Policy Research, (India)
Centre for Public Policy Studies (Malaysia)
Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) (Indonesia)
Centre for Strategic Studies (CSS), (New Zealand)
Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, (India)
China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations (CICIR) (China)
China Institute for International Studies (CIIS) (China)
Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) (China)
Dehli Policy Group (India)
Development Alternatives (India)
Development Institute (KDI) (South Korea)
Development Research Center, State Council, (China)
East Asia Institute (South Korea)
East Asian Institute (Singapore)
Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (Indonesia)
Energy Research Institute (TERI) (India)
Foundation for Tolerance International, (Kyrgyzstan)
Hong Kong Centre for Economic Research (Hong Kong)
Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER) (India)
Institute for Defense Studies and Analyses (IDSA) (India)
Institute for Foreign Affairs and National Security (IFANS), (South Korea)
Institute for International Policy Studies (Japan)
Institute for National Policy Research (INPR), (Taiwan)
Institute for Social and Environmental Transition, (Nepal)
Institute of Developing Economies, Japan External Trade Organization (IDE-JETRO)
(Japan)
Institute of Economic Growth, (India)
Institute of Governance Studies, (Bangladesh)
Institute of International Policy Studies (IIPS) (Japan)
Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies (IPCS), (India)
Institute of Security and International Studies (ISIS), (Thailand)
Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS) (Singapore)
Institute of Strategic and Development Studies (ISDS), (Philippines)
Institute of Strategic and International Studies (ISIS) (Malaysia)
Japan Center for International Exchange (JCIE) (Japan)
Japan Institute for International Development (Japan)
Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIA) (Japan)
Korea Development Institute (KDI) (South Korea)
Korea Foundation (South Korea)
Korea Institute for Economic Policy (South Korea)
Korea Institute for National Unification (KINU), (South Korea)
Korean Energy Economics Institute (KEEI) (South Korea)
Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) (Singapore)
Liberty Institute (India)
123
Lion Rock Institute (Hong Kong)
Lowy Institute for International Policy (Australia)
National Council of Applied Economic Research, (India)
National Institute for Defense Studies (NIDS) (Japan)
National Institute for Research Advancement (NIRA) (Japan)
Observer Research Foundation (India)
Philippine Institute for Development Studies, (Philippines)
Political Risks Assessment Group, (Kazakhstan)
S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), formerly known as FNA Institute of
Defence and Strategic Studies (IDSS) (Singapore)
Regional Centre for Strategic Studies (RCSS) (Sri Lanka)
Research Centre (SHARQ), (Tajikistan)
Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI) (Japan)
Shanghai Institute for International Studies (SIIS) (China)
Singapore Institute of International Affairs (ISIS) (Singapore)
Strategic and Defense Studies Centre (SDSC), Australian National University, (Australia)
Sustainable Development Policy Institute, (Pakistan)
Taiwan Foundation for Democracy (Taiwan)
Tokyo Foundation for Global Studies, (Japan)
Unirule Institute for Economics (China)
United Service Institution of India (India)

James G. McGann, Ph.D.
Assistant Director, International Relations Program
Director, Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program
University of Pennsylvania
635 Williams Hall
255 S. 36th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6304

Main Office: 215 898-0452
Direct Line: 215 746-2928
Mobile: 215 206-1799
Email: jmcgann@sas.upenn.edu
IR Web site: http://www.sas.upenn.edu/irp/
TTCSP Web site: http://gotothinktank.com








124
E. SAMPLE EMAIL TO REGIONAL AND FUNCTIONAL AREA EXPERT
PANEL MEMBERS REQUESTING THEIR REVIEW OF THE DRAFT 2011
GLOBAL GO TO THINK TANK INDEX

Emails sent on or around December 1, 2012
Expert Panel Review Period Closed in December, 2012


255 South 36th Street
638 Williams Hall
PHILADELPHIA, PA 19104
TEL. (215) 746-2928
FAX (215) 732-4401
EMAIL:jmcgann@sas.upenn.edu

December 1, 2012

Dear George:

I hope all is well with you. The 2012 rankings process is now complete. I am now seeking
the input of members of the Expert Panel to help review the 2012 Global Go-To Think
Tank Index. Can I please ask you to review the list of the top think tanks in the
following two categories: 1) top think tanks in Africa and 2) International Development
think tanks and let me know if you find any errors, translation typos or other issues I should
be aware of with the institutions that appear on the lists? We are about to draft the final
report and I want to make sure there are not serious issues with the rankings. Thanks in
advance for your assistance with the ranking process.

All the best,
Jim McGann

James G. McGann, Ph.D.
Assistant Director, International Relations Program
Director, Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program
University of Pennsylvania
635 Williams Hall
255 S. 36th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6304

Main Office: 215 898-0452
Direct Line: 215 746-2928
Mobile: 215 206-1799
Email: jmcgann@sas.upenn.edu
IR Web site: http://www.sas.upenn.edu/irp/
TTCSP Web site: http://gotothinktank.com

125
BACKGROUND ON THE THINK TANKS AND CIVIL SOCIETIES
PROGRAM

The Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program (TTCSP) was established in 1989 at the
Foreign Policy Research Institute in Philadelphia. In 2008, TTCSP relocated to the
International Relations Program at the University of Pennsylvania. The Program conducts
research on the role policy institutes play in governments and in civil societies around the
world. Often referred to as the think tanks think tank, TTCSP examines the evolving role
and character of public policy research organizations, specializing in researching the
challenges think tanks face and developing strategies and programs to strengthen the
capacity and performance of think tanks worldwide. Over the last twenty-six years, TTCSP
has launched a number of global initiatives that have helped bridge the gap between
knowledge and policy in critical fields such as international peace and security, globalization
and governance, international economics, environmental protection, information and society,
poverty alleviation, and healthcare. These international collaborative efforts seek to establish
regional and international networks of policy institutions and communities that might help
to improve policymaking and to strengthen democratic institutions and civil societies around
the world. The Program works with some of the leading private foundations,
intergovernmental organizations, think tanks, and universities in the context of a variety of
collaborative efforts and programs. For additional information about our publications and
programs, contact our Director, James G. McGann, at: jmcgann@sas.upenn.edu.

Research on Think Tanks and Civil Societies
TTCSP conducts research on the role of think tanks both in the policymaking process
and as key civil society actors in countries around the world.

Think Tank Capacity Building Program (TTCBP)
TTCBP conducts research and provides technical assistance on a wide range of
environmental challenges and organizational development issues facing think tanks and
policy communities around the globe. In addition, TTCBP develops and implements
strategies that help to increase the capacity of think tanks so that they can better serve
policymakers and the public.

Database and Directories
TTCSP developed the first comprehensive, interactive, global, multi-sectoral database and
directory of think tanks. Most databases and directories are organized by discipline,
country, or region. The Program maintains the only multi-sectoral database of think
tanks, consisting of over 11,000 think tanks in over 160 countries. The Program further
has created and maintained specialized databases of think tanks in areas such as
development, democracy, security, international affairs, and healthcare.


126
THE RESEARCH TEAM

PROGRAM DIRECTOR

James G. McGann, Ph.D., is the Assistant Director of the International Relations Program
and the Director of the Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program at the University of
Pennsylvania. He conducts research on the trends and challenges facing think tanks and
policymakers around the world and provides advice and technical assistance to think tanks,
governments, and public and private donors on how to improve the quality and impact of
policy research. He is also a senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, a
Philadelphia-based think tank. Prior to coming to the University of Pennsylvania, Dr.
McGann was an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Villanova University, where he
taught courses on international relations, international organizations, and international law.
Dr. McGann has served as a consultant and advisor to the World Bank, United Nations,
United States Agency for International Development, the Soros, Rockefeller, MacArthur,
Hewlett, and Gates Foundations, the Carnegie Corporation, and various foreign
governments on the role of non-governmental, public policy, and public engagement
organizations in civil society. He has served as the Senior Vice President for the Executive
Council on Foreign Diplomats, the Public Policy Program Officer for the Pew Charitable
Trusts, the Assistant Director of the Institute of Politics at the John F. Kennedy School of
Government, Harvard University, and a senior advisor to the Citizens Network for Foreign
Affairs and the Society for International Development.
Among Dr. McGanns publications are Competition for Dollars, Scholars, and
Influence in the Public Policy Research Industry (University Press of America 1995); The
International Survey of Think Tanks (Foreign Policy Research Institute 1999); Think Tanks
and Civil Societies: Catalyst for Ideas and Action, co-edited with Kent B. Weaver
(Transaction Publishers 2000); Comparative Think Tanks, Politics, and Public Policy
(Edward Elgar 2005); Think Tanks and Policy Advice in the U.S.: Academics, Advisors, and
Advocates (Routledge 2007); Global Trends and Transitions: 2007 Survey of Think Tanks
(Foreign Policy Research Institute 2008); Think Tank Index (Foreign Policy Magazine 2009);
The 2008 Global Go To Think Tank Rankings (IRP, University of Pennsylvania 2009);
Democratization and Market Reform: Think Tanks as Catalysts (Routledge 2009); Catalysts
for Economic Growth and Development: The Role of Think Tanks in Brazil, Russia, India,
China and South Africa (CIPE 2009); The 2009 Global Go To Think Tank Rankings (IRP,
University of Pennsylvania 2010); and Global Think Tanks, Policy Networks and
Governance (Routledge 2010).





127
RESEARCH INTERNS
Aaron Schwartzbaum
Alexandra Jeszeck
Andrew Metrick
Courtney McMahon
Debby Chiang
Jillian Rafferty
John Colavita
Kari Abromitis
Laura Bove
Mariana Frias
Ola Aboukhsaiwan
Sandra Mazlagic
Sophie Kim
Tim Connors


128
THINK TANK AND CIVIL SOCIETIES PROGRAM

The Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program (TTCSP) examines the role policy institutes
play in governments and in civil societies around the world. Often referred to as the think
tanks think tank, TTCSP examines the evolving role and character of public policy
research organizations. Over the last 25 years the Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program
has laid the foundation for a global initiative that will help bridge the gap between
knowledge and policy in critical policy areas such as international peace and security,
globalization and governance, international economics, environment, information and
society, poverty alleviation and health. This international collaborative effort is designed to
establish regional and international networks of policy institutes and communities that will
improve policymaking and strengthen democratic institutions and civil societies around the
world. The Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program works with some of the leading
scholars and practitioners from think tanks and universities in a variety of collaborative
efforts and programs.




THINK TANKS AND CIVIL SOCIETIES PROGRAM 2013, University of
Pennsylvania, International Relations Program

All rights reserved. Except for short quotes, no part of this document and presentation may
be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including
photocopying, recording, or by information storage or retrieval system, without written
permission from the Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program.



All requests, questions and comments should be sent to:

James G. McGann, Ph.D.
Director
Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program
International Relations Program
University of Pennsylvania
635 Williams Hall
255 S. 36
th
Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6305 U.S.A.

Telephone: +1-215-746-2928 or +1-215-732 3774 ext. 209
Email: jmcgann@sas.upenn.edu